United World
by ryuufubuki
Summary: "Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much, not even your father or mother." No phrase rang truer for the separated heroes. Each wrought with their own limits, barring their abilities. However, facing a new threat, they must learn to push themselves to the limit.
1. Chapter 1: It's Been a Week

Hello and welcome to United World! So this has been a work in progress for a while but is probably one of the ongoing stories that I've been writing that has gotten me super pumped! So serveral pieces of information about this story: 1. This will not be a regular update (but then again which one of my stories are!), and will most likely just be updated when I finish up a chapter or when I have a super sweet heartwarming review. 2. This does contain some Nyotalia! character so the names are as follows: Kiki (female Japan), Alfred (America), Madeline (female Canada), Gwen (female Prussia), Ivan (Russia), Liv (female Norway), Arthur (England), Chiara (female Romano), Chun-Yan (female China), and then Antonio and Francis (Spain and France respectively). 3. This is after the first Avengers movie, with a little bit of changes for the shake of the story. 4. There will be 2p!s in the story. And I think that's about it, if I think of anything else you need to know I'll make sure to inform you. I don't own Hetalia or Avengers however I do own this story line. Please enjoy the read and I apologize for an grammar mistakes or any other errors you find in this story. Oh there are also some minor character but I'm pretty sure you'll catch on to who they are as the story goes on, you know context clues and all that. And last thing, I swear, if there are any small parts that you'd like to be featured in the story please do share!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**  
 **It's Been a Week**

* * *

It had been a week since the alien invasion on New York City, and the avengers had all moved into a newly named Avengers Tower. It'd been a week since the Russian Mafia had alluded the police again and had a member board a boat to America. It'd been a week since a new video game had come out, advanced for its time selling a million dollars' worth on the very first day. It'd been a week since a tiny, yet popular cafe just outside of New York had opened up. It'd been a week since America's 'best' fire fighter had moved to the outskirts of New York. It'd been a week now since a drunken man had gotten hit by a car and walked away perfectly fine. It'd been a week now since a lead singer had retired from her band and moved to New York. It'd been a week now since a famous artist came to New York for an art show. And it'd been a week since a covert operator of SHIELD had gone missing on a mission.

As much as none of these events seemed connected, Director Fury, of SHIELD knew better. And now before the man lay seven pictures of seven very different individuals. Seven individuals Fury had known quiet well a few years ago. Seven individuals who had each been a part of SHIELD just a few years ago. Seven individuals who were part of a team much like the avengers. And seven individuals who Fury was about to convince to become part of SHIELD once more.  
"You should probably recruit those two first seeing as how they never officially left in the first place, sir," Maria Ross interjected as Fury was mulling over the seven pictures. "True, it seems I will have to visit them myself since agent Coulson almost died," Fury sighed. Coulson, who had been nearly killed trying to retain Loki, had been close to the team of mutants, or closer than any agent in SHIELD had been, besides his partners who were MIA, and had monitored the team. "Shall I get a plane ready for you, sir?" Ross asked. "Perhaps a car would be better," Fury replied, from the table he grabbed a file with a Japanese girl on the front.

* * *

Kiki Honda sat at her computer desk in blue short shorts and a blue spaghetti strap, playing the game she had designed. She even amazed herself, looking at the detailed graphics to the sound effects that echoed in her room. She watched as her tiny character fought off another solider with her power when she saw something pop up in her private chat box with the rest of her friends.

 **Pasta** : Ve~ you did a great job with the game Kiki!

West: I must agree on this one, great work Kiki.

Kiki smiled at the two PMs from two of her best friends. Feliciana and Ludwig had known her since she was a kid and accepted her even after they had learned about her secret.

Katana: Thank you very much, Feli-chan, Ludwig-kun, I hope that you're having fun.

Kiki's head shot up from her game when she heard a knock at her door. Strange, she hadn't been expecting anyone, not to mention out of everyone in her company only her boss knew her address. "Coming," she called quietly. She walked over to the door in her small apartment and opened it only to find herself looking up at a much taller and very familiar man. "Director!" Kiki squeaked, then she realized who she was addressing and the fact that she hadn't changed her clothes for awhile, absorbed in both programming and playing the game. The short, thin girl yelped and slammed the door shut.

"Agent Honda," Fury said on the other side of the door. "Just a minute," she cried back. The girl ran to her room quickly throwing on a frilly black shirt with a short black skirt along with a pair of tights underneath them. Then she yanked open the front door again to find the man still there, one of his eyebrows raised. "Would you like some tea?" she asked, smiling sweetly. "Of course," Fury smiled, Kiki had a skill at making others smiling.

The tiny teenager guided Fury into the messy house, to the dining table. "I'm sorry for the mess, please wait here I'll go put some water on," she said, walking back to the kitchen. Fury took a seat at the small table and looked at all the papers on it, wandering what his former co-worker had been up to lately. Then a few job proposals caught his eye. He picked up one, instantly knowing it was from the FBI, another one from the presidential office as a guard, then the navy, CSI, and countless other governmental agencies. Fury sighed, it was all his fault that the girl was even getting these and now he was here to recruit her once more.

Kiki walked into the dining room with a pot of tea and two steaming cups, each with a rose petal floating on top. "Here you are, Fury-san," Kiki said politely, she put the tray down and moved one of the cups in front of the director. "Thank you, Kiki," he responded. The sat for a few moments in silence, sipping their tea. "Fury-san, I would like to ask why you are here," Kiki muttered. "And I suppose that you would not believe me if I said I was just coming to visit an old friend?" Fury asked.

The Japanese girl of nineteen set down her cup of tea, "I don't think I would, Fury-san." Fury put a picture on the table and instantly the girl's breathing hitched. "I suppose you do remember him, even after these two years, yes?" Fury asked. "Of course," she responded, "I guess he has come back? But why can't your new team do this?" The girl was of course upset; it had been expected the moment he brought out the picture of the man who had killed her sister.  
"Must I remind you that you never officially quit SHIELD, Agent Honda?" Fury sighed, he had hoped that he wouldn't have to remind her. "I know, but still!" Kiki sighed, rubbing her temples, "Are the others coming back?" "I was hoping that you could help me to convince them. Not to mention this case may take on a personal level," Fury replied, sipping his tea, as he put another picture in front of Kiki. Kiki sat back in her chair, her usually straight posture slouching for a few minutes as she thought. "Fine, I will help you, but only until this man is dead."

"I knew you'd say that, I will be back in an hour to pick you up, make sure you pack," Fury said. "Yes, Fury-san," Kiki said before politely showing her guest out. As soon as the man had disappeared behind the closed door, Kiki grabbed the closest thing (a glass cup) and slammed it against the wall shattering it into pieces. She fell down to her knees sobbing, and above her head a smiling picture of a Chinese woman looked down at her.

* * *

The next two would be very challenging, and Fury knew it. With how protective Alfred F. Jones was of his sister, Madeline Jones, it would not be an easy task. However, just like Kiki and all the other members these two would be vitally important to ensure the team succeeded, to ensure they beat that man once in for all. But if Fury could get Madeline Jones all by herself first, the task would take next to no effort. And perhaps Alfred wouldn't put up much of a fight after Fury told him Kiki was already in on it.

Fury parked his black van outside the small cafe 'The Maple Leaf' and entered the tiny building. It had opened up just last week by one Madeline Jones, and word had spread all over New York City of the famous pancakes cooked there. Pancakes that Fury had longed for ever since the team had disbanded. The trouble would be focusing on his real intent after tasting the pancakes after so long. Once he entered the restaurant he caught sight of his target, since the place still hadn't opened up for the day, Madeline was talking to one of her co-workers when she caught sight of him.

She muttered one more thing to her co-worker in her soft voice before going over to Fury. "Excuse me, but sir the restaurant will not be open for another few minutes," she whispered. "Perhaps then you will allow me to get right to the point, Agent Jones," Fury replied, making sure to keep his voice down to a soft level so none of the other workers heard. "Outside, please, then I'll listen, eh," Madeline muttered, she walked towards the door, taking each step gracefully as though gliding across the floor.

Once they reached Fury's car Madeline stopped and turned to face the man. "What do you want, eh?" Madeline asked in a much harsher voice than Fury had ever heard from her besides the time he had given her a mission in the middle of a hockey game. "I want your help again, Agent Jones. I am getting the old team back together; Agent Honda has already agreed. He has started to pop up more and more, I cannot say that the Avengers will be enough to handle him. Not to mention my top operative has been captured, someone you know very well in fact, and my sources tell me she hasn't been turned," Fury responded.  
Pain flashed in Madeline's eyes at the thought of the man and her existence began to fade out slightly, she noticed and halted her power. "You expect us to fight against the one who took Chun-Yan and Francis and Toni. They were more experienced than all of us and they lost to him," the 20-year old's hands were trembling and her eyes were beginning to water. "Madeline, I'm sure that with the help of your team and the avengers this man can be taken down once and for all, and many more lives can be saved," Fury said.

"I-I will help you with this, as long as Kiki agrees to continue and Alfred agrees, if either of them quit then I will too, eh," Madeline reluctantly said after a moment of hesitation. "Now then, we should go pick up Kiki after you pack, and we can also use that time to talk to Alfred," Fury said, motioning to his car. "Let me go tell my chef that I won't be there today," Madeline said, her soft voice returning to normal from rising a few moments ago.

* * *

It was only a five-minute drive to the tiny cabin that Madeline and Alfred lived in. The place itself was hidden from the road by a big clump of trees that shaded the whole area. Outside the cabin was a small garden of flowers that brightened up the wooden cabin. As the car pulled up Alfred opened to door, looking to see who had arrived. A hamburger was halfway shoved into his mouth as he held a glass of orange juice in one hand.

When the car stopped his eyes instantly lite up once Madeline came out of the passenger side. But for the first time in his life Alfred spat the hamburger onto the ground in surprise and hate when Fury stepped out of the other side. "Maddie! What are you doing with him?" Alfred growled, glaring at Fury. With inhuman speed Alfred ran, standing in front of his sister protectively. "Agent 'America' it seems you haven't changed a bit," Fury growled, Alfred had been one of the only people on the team who had gotten on Fury's bad side, acting almost like he was another Tony Stark with the way he had acted at one point.

"Don't call me that!" Alfred growled. "Al," Madeline put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Fury wants us to go back on the team." In an instant, Alfred F. Jones was holding Fury a few inches off the ground by the collar of his shirt. "Al! Let him down! Look Kiki's already agreed, and I don't think that we could talk her out of it. We can't let her go in alone on this," Madeline begged her brother. Alfred tensed at Kiki's name and dropped Fury to the ground again. "We're trying to take down him again aren't we?" Alfred asked in a hushed voice before he sighed.

"If Maddie and Kiki both insist on doing it, then I have no choice as the hero! Come on let's go pack Maddie, Fury you have to wait out here," Alfred sped his sister away so they could both pack. Fury had thought that Alfred had given up the whole idea of being a hero but it almost seemed like he had been waiting for this offer again.

* * *

And so Fury found himself in a car ride with two twenty year olds, despite his protest Alfred sat beside him while Madeline was in the back. Loud music shook the car as they pulled up to Kiki's place, ten minutes late. The small teen was outside with two suitcases in either hand watching for the car. As the car stopped Alfred basically jumped out running straight to Kiki and hugging her. The Japanese game designer instantly blushed, trying to wiggle out of the elder's grip. "A-Alfred-san! My personal space!"


	2. Chapter 2: Vodka, Beer and Tea

To be honest, I became quite giddy when I saw the favorites and follows in what, forty eight hours (though I'd still appreciate a review). Anyway this is probably the fastest update you'll ever get from me! Also, please flood my mind with ideas for the story, any small and sweet little things like characters from Hetalia making an appearance, any Marvel characters making an appearance (like Deadpool cough cough). As always I don't own Hetalia or the Avengers, wish I did. Enjoy the story! Note, there's also a bit of talk about suicide so please be warned!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**  
 **Vodka, Beer and Tea**

* * *

One Ivan Braginsky, leader of the most notorious Russian Mafia's crept out of the boat he had illegally boarded. His gaze was cast out to New York City, America. It had been two years since he had been there, it had been the place Francis and Antonio had been named MIA, and Chun-Yan had been killed.  
Of course the team had slowly separated, in the end the only two who returned to a normal life lastly was Arthur and Ivan. Chiara had been forcefully discharged because of her broken state. Kiki had been the second to leave the group. She had simply vanished one day, leaving only a note saying that she was okay and not to go looking for her. All of them knew that she had been heartbroken at the loss of her adopted older sister. Then Gwen had left, 'off to finish my dream of being a rock star, later unawesome people and Madeline.' Then Alfred and Madeline had abandoned the group, Alfred broke down and the next day they never showed, they had been rumored to move back to their house in Texas.

Now Ivan was back in the US. He had left after disbanding his family, they hadn't been to happy about that and chased him to the dock where they ended up in a gunfight with police. All they had found out was someone in his family had boarded the boat, but since one of the few men that had been able to get on the boat had been killed they had presumed that all was well once more.

And now he knew that he'd never be free as he saw Nick Fury leaning against his black van, waiting for Ivan. Beside him was Alfred, Kiki and, Ivan's heart skipped a beat, Madeline. "Damn Commie it's been a while, I always knew being a stowaway suited you," Alfred sneered. He and the American had their differences in the past after all. "Vhat a pleasant surprise, Madeline, Kiki, Jones, Fury," Ivan nodded at each one of them in turn, glaring at the latter two.  
The 'damn commie' grinned childishly when he saw Alfred bristle at his family name. Before Alfred could burst Kiki stepped up. "Ivan-san we are attempting to re-gather the team-" "I'm not interested," Ivan interrupted, "I've got better things to do these days." The tall man waved his hand non-chantey. He quickly turned around only to find his path blocked by an American. "Al!" Madeline called/whispered when she saw her brother in front of the Russian.

"Ivan Braginsky, leader of an infamous Russian mafia, currently illegal immigrant to the United States, tell me why I shouldn't arrest you now?" Fury asked, it was a card he usually played, but for the most part it worked. However, Fury should have known better than to use a trick like that against Ivan. A dark aura gathered around the tall Russian man, as he turned his still smiling face towards Fury. "You are threatening me, da?"

Everyone, with the expectation of Alfred, were terrified, shaking at the sudden change in Ivan's mood. "I-I-Ivan, please we all just want to make sure nothing happens like what happened to Chun-Yan, Antonio and Francis," Madeline intervened, having teleported over to the Russian. "I'm sorry, Maddie," Ivan said, he turned his back to the group and began to walk away. "Chun-Yan-onee would do the same thing if it had been you." Ivan paused mid-step. "Perhaps you are right Kiki. But we'd never know, since Chun-Yan is dead and I'm alive." Without looking back, he knew one of the youngest members of the team flinched. "However..."

* * *

 _Ivan held the dying Chinese woman in his arms, watching as she gulped in breath after breath, just hanging on. To his other side lay Kiki, knocked out, not dead. "Chun-Yan, hold in there, the transport will be here shortly jus-" "Ivan, could you please watch over Kiki for me?" "You're going to watch over her, you're not going to die, Chun-Yan! I won't let you!" "I'm sorry Ivan, I'm not going to make it," the Chinese woman said, her voice tight with pain._  
 _"But you promised me, that when this was all over..." Ivan trailed off, looking at the golden ring on Chun-Yan's finger. The golden ring was half covered in Chun-Yan's own blood and the place where the diamond once sat was empty. "I'm sorry, I really wish that we could have gotten married, Ivan," Chun-Yan whispered. "I will." "Huh?" "I promise, I will watch over Kiki for you, no matter what, I won't let anything happen to her," Ivan swore._

 _Chun-Yan reached up, her hand on Ivan's cheek, as tears streamed down her face. She graced her lover with a final kiss. Her hand and head slowly slipped away from Ivan's and her last breath rattled out, her eyes becoming motionless. The rest of the team later found Ivan crying, still holding Chun-Yan in his arms, as he sat in a pool of blood and bodies._

* * *

Ivan had taken care of Kiki for a month before everything that Kiki did reminded him of Chun-Yan, and on the night Kiki vanished, Ivan realized everything thing he did reminded Kiki of Chun-Yan. Both of them were still in so much pain and Ivan had been even more heartbroken that he couldn't keep his promise. But now, Kiki was right, Chun-Yan would do anything to avenge him and if Kiki was doing this, Chun-Yan would kill him if he didn't help protect her younger sister.  
"However," the Russian repeated, "I do wish to keep my promise to Chun-Yan, so for this one time I will help, da?" "Da, i mean yes, now all that's left is Kirkland, Varges and-" "Ze Awesome me!" The group of young adults turned around to see a dog with white fur and red eyes. Atop its head was a little yellow bird. "Gwen is that you?!" everyone exclaimed. "Kesesese! Of course it iz!" At those words the bird flew off on the dog's head and the dog began to transform into a person. A very attractive young lady of 23 in fact.

After transforming back to being a human she immediately hugged Madeline, swinging her off her feet. Alfred bristled and lunged for his sister, eager to get her away from the 'Prussian'. However, before Alfred's finger tips could even hope to reach Madeline, Gwen had swung the girl away as she hung in mid-air, only supported by the albino's strength. When the American tired again the same thing happened. Again. Again. And again.

"They are at it again," Kiki sighed deeply, watching the scene unfold before her. The Russian's hands were twitching and pretty soon he would jump in to stop Alfred from winning. Then of course Arthur would- "Arthur-kun," Kiki muttered quietly. The others turned to look at her. Alfred's face hardened dramatically, while the other looked slightly remorseful. Gwen put Madeline down and they all turned to look at Fury. "He's still alive, we've been keeping an eye on him and keeping him out of too much trouble, although we are unable to keep him out of the bottle."  
"Speaking of which, how did you find us, Gwen-chan?" Kiki asked, causing the white haired girl's head to perk up. "Well I started out following Madeline's scent, she always uses this great maple perfume, and then all of your scents just sort of met up so I followed, and you were all here, of course Ivan was a surprise, and I wish some others weren't here," she directed a glare towards Alfred then at Fury. "Do you think you could find Arthur-kun and Chi-chan like that as well?"

"Kesesesese, of course, zhe awesome me can do anything!" "Alright then, lead the way!"

The group was soon led to a small pub deep in the alley ways of New York. The place looked long forgotten but a light was still flickering in the window. "Belischmidt, Jones, and Braginsky, if you could get Kirkland, we are running out of time and the location of Varges may change soon, and then we'd have to track him down again." "You mean you know where Chi-chan is?" Kiki asked the director. "It was on the news yesterday, actually, a famous Italian artist called Chiara Varges was having a show in town, mostly a gift since the President brought a piece into the white house, but it was on invite only," Madeline muttered.  
"Why don't you guys convince Arthur and we'll go to the art show?" Gwen suggested. "You three probably couldn't pass for anyone of high prestige, however, an invite was sent to Kiki and allowed for two guests," Fury replied. "Wait when did I..." Fury held up the envelope, "It was on your table, I knew we'd need it later." "You went through her mail, and took something, jeez Kiki I don't think you should go with your stalker!" Alfred joked. Fury cast a dark look towards Alfred at the comment.

"Come on, you two. It is getting late and I doubt Fury wants to put off our meeting with the avengers tomorrow," with that Ivan dragged the American and Prussian into the ran down pub.

* * *

Surprisingly enough the pub seemed to be fairly popular judging from the large amount of people drinking, playing pool and playing cards. Most of the men looked like body builders-one man was wearing an eye patch- or, at the very least, they all looked like they worked out at a gym five times a day. Yet, the moment Ivan walked in with a complaining Gwen and loud Alfred, a chill and fright fell over the bar. No one in the room would look Ivan in the eye and all talking had ceased.

The silence was unsettling and it didn't stop until Ivan smiled, "Good night, da?" he asked. There was a few muttered 'yes's and the bar went back to its usual loudness. In the moment their comrade had everyone scared Alfred and Gwen had both scanned one side of the bar each and found the only one to not react to the sinister feeling. The three made their way over to the man with messy blond hair.

He was nursing a bottle of whisky in his hands, as if afraid someone would take it away although it was empty. "How about I buy you a drink?" Alfred asked, walking up. Arthur, already too drunk to identify the voice, nodded, "Just another bottle lad." Alfred flagged down the bartender. "Tea, Cola, some vodka and beer if you would," he ordered. "Ehh, I did not want any of that ya bloody wanker," Arthur slurred.

"Arthur, how long have you been drinking like this?" Alfred asked, pity and sadness leaking into his voice. Alfred had Madeline to help him after the deaths of his comrades and Madeline had him. Gwen had the comfort of her brother. Kiki had other siblings that she could depend on, not to mention she threw herself into her work. Ivan had Kiki for the initial grief, then like his charge had given himself a new goal. Chiara had her sister and art work. Yet, Arthur hadn't turned to anyone and, as the leader of their team, had blamed himself for everything that had happened.

It took Arthur a few seconds but the voice's owner clicked in his head and he sobered up instantly. "Alfred, I suppose Fury sent you to get me back on the team," he muttered, releasing his empty bottle and replacing it with the newly delivered cup of hot tea. "How did you know comrade?" Ivan asked, his eyes flickering as he took a long drink of Vodka. "Black Skull, he visited me a few days ago, offered to buy me a drink just like you. Said he was offering me a place on his team, as long as I bought Chiara to him," Arthur chuckled at the thought. "And?" Gwen pressed, a little uneasy at the name of their villain. "What do you think, told him to go to bloody hell, went home and tried to blow my head off again," the Brit laughed as though he had just heard the funniest joke ever.  
"Look, like you said, Fury wants you back on the team, but we need you Arthur, we can't do this without you, not again, please," Alfred begged. "So I can what? Get more of you captured again, abandon you, I'm just like Fury's new monster, the Hulk? Yes? I only hurt my friends, just like Francis," the last part was added quietly, remorse leaking into his voice. "Artie, you know that's not true, Francis knew what he was getting into. You weren't even around when it happened," Alfred pointed out.

"Black Cross hasn't killed them yet, you know, just had them work for him. Stealing, destroying, and causing havoc all over the world. Dogs trained to follow his every command, and there's no way to stop them-" Alfred slammed his glass down, shattering it on the wood counter, as coke and blood alike slid out from his fingers. The noise in the bar had stopped as soon as the noise had rung out, startling a vast majority of the occupants.

The Russian and Prussian looked around before nodding in agreement. Ivan slammed a $100 bill on the counter and grabbed Alfred, dragging him out while Gwen dragged Arthur


	3. Chapter 3: One Tomato On the House

Hello and welcome to chapter three. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and that your ready for the Avengers to meet UW as well as get started on the main story line. I don't own Hetalia or Avengers, and never expect to do so, but I do own the foundation of this plot. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**  
 **One Tomato, On The House**

* * *

Chiara Varges, well known Italian artist, stood in the middle of the bustling room, holding a glass of champagne in one hand and shaking her many guests' hands, each which congratulated her and complimented her. To nearly everyone present Chiara Varges was a talented, calm and collected person. However, three different groups of people knew differently.

Natasha better known as the 'Black Widow' eyed the famed artist, the higher ups (higher than Fury) had requested that she attend the art show, keep an eye on the young artist and look for anyone suspicious. When asked if Fury had heard of the mission she had been dismissed and sent off. After she had searched for her boss, who apparently had left the helicarrier for the whole day.

She sat at one of the many white clothed, rose covered tables, sipped from her water, no use getting drunk in case something happened to the young woman at the age of 19. She knew just about everything there was to know about Varges.

She had been born as the heir to the Varges Company, a high tech computer business ran by her grandfather, Romulus. The company had worked side by side with Stark Industries and still did a little today. In addition, her family were thought to be leaders of a mafia that had yet to have any official information and was well known in the underground world, of course it was just a theory. However, the Varges heir had refused to take over and when she reached the age of 16 she had dropped out of school and moved to New York. She took up her time as a minor artist for two years, and now she was making her first debut as a nationwide celebrity.

When searching Varges file, because everyone had a file, she had found a classified file, restricted by SHIELD itself. Reluctantly, but all the same curious of what SHIELD was hiding about the young woman, she had asked Tony to hack into it for her. When she had left Stark Towers he had yet to do so, and that had been an hour ago, maybe SHIELD really did have good computer security.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone she had never expected to see tonight, Fury. She hid her surprise by taking a drink of water and looked at the situation carefully. He was with two girls, both in their late teens or early twenties. She recognized them both, Kiki Honda and Madeline Jones. Both girls had attended high school with Varges, and their names had been on part of the file. Honda was a recently acclaimed creator of a new video game that went through adventures of mutants in World War II. Madeline was a cook at a new cafe. What could SHIELD possibly have to hide about them?

Natasha turned her attention back to her target, who was now having a hushed conversation with a new man. Unable to hear them, she flipped on the switch to allow her bug she had planted earlier to activate, letting her in on the conversation with the curly brown haired, green eyed Spanish man who was wearing a suit with a red tie. "Hello, Roma," the man greeted, Varges flinched away from the man at the supposed nickname. "Antonio? It that really you weren't you...?" "Of course and I still am, boss sent me to make you a once in a life time offer."

Antonio, Natasha searched through her memories until she found the man's name. Antonio Hernández Carriedo, colleague to Phil Coluson, babysitter to an earlier experiment to the Avengers project. Pronounced MIA two years ago. A man, supposed to be missing for two years now, talking to a famed artist, who happened to be Natasha's charge currently. "What are you talking about 'Toni, this isn't you," Varges was begging now, leaving more unanswered questions for Natasha. "It doesn't matter if it's me or not, what does matter is the fact that you don't want Liv to be killed, now do you?"

Chiara's breathing hitched for a half a second, "No way, I know she stayed with SHIELD but she's not a field agent, you couldn't have..." How did a civilian know about SHIELD, more importantly, Liv, code name Mage, was known as SHIELD's finest, Natasha second and Clint third, how had she managed to be captured? "It was simple really, Liv was their support and once we wiped out the other agents, she stood no chance, not to mention she refused to lay a finger on Francis, or I. Begging that this wasn't us, or she'd save us and after all we did the rest of the team still forgives us. How pathetic."

"I could kill you right now, no problem, tell me why I shouldn't?" Chiara ground out. Natasha's eyes flickered with surprise, never would she have thought Chiara would make a death threat. "Boss thought you'd say that, which is why, as soon as my heart stops, Liv is dropped from the roof of this building." With that Natasha excused herself from the table she was sitting at and walked over to Fury and his two companies. "Director," she greeted. "Romanoff, what are you doing here?" For the first time in her life, Natasha swore she heard panic in her boss's voice.

"I was sent to monitor Varges, do you recognize the man talking to her? Agent Carriedo?" "Sir, we should provide a distraction, no telling if he wants Antonio to get Chi-chan tonight," Honda stood up, tiny compared to Natasha but powerful. "Before you do that, Carriedo also mentioned his capture of Liv, he's keeping her on the rooftop, threatened to kill her." "I can get Liv, Fury you should start getting civilians out. Maddie, and Miss Romanoff could you handle Antiono? Just please don't hurt him too bad. If things go bad call the others."

With those words Kiki Honda had whisked off, towards what the others could only think to be the roof. "Agent Romanoff, listen to Agent Jones she knows Carriedo well, you should be able to take care of him easily." Fury then turned to Madeline, "I'll call the others, and remember your mission is to not secure Carriedo but keep Varges safe." With that Fury, too, whisked away to do his job, gently and inconspicuously he began to drive everyone out of the room.  
Soon enough the room was empty besides Madeline, Natasha, Antonio and Chiara. "Carriedo! What does _Black Skull_ have up his sleeve now?" Madeline growled, her usually soft voice ringing out in the unusually empty room. "Tch, Silver Bolt, what an unpleasant surprise," Carrideo muttered, he turned around slowly hands held up, "What'da got against an old amigo, chica?" "You're obviously not the tomato bastard, bastard," Chiara huffed. "Aw Roma~~ that hurts!" the Spanish man yelped, throwing on arm over Chiara's shoulders. The girl stiffened, first at the nickname then at the contact.

"Get away from her now, 'Toni!" Madeline said, lighting crackled in her open hands, like a cut circuit. Natasha brought her guns up, pointed straight at the ex-agent who now had a knife hovering over Chiara's throat. "Ah ah ah, now remember what I told Chi, Liv dies if I do, though boss won't be too happy about that!" The Spaniard's beaming smile almost made Natasha forget the threat that he was, almost made her want to let him go off on his merry way.

"Focus, Widow." Natasha brought her eyes up to meet Chiara's, who despite all odds, seemed as calm as if she was going grocery shopping. Time seemed to slow down from flowing to dripping as the Avenger watched Antonio suddenly fall to his knees, screaming in pain and perhaps fear. The world around her began to flow again as the knife clattered to the ground. Madeline stared at Antonio, who had begun to curl into himself, with something akin to sympathy her purple eyes sheltering all emotions for the time being.

"Come on, let's go get Kiki and Liv, bastards," Chiara growled, stepping away from the withering Spaniard. "We can't just leave him there, Chiara," Madeline instantly replied. "What do you suggest, tell _Black Skull_ , 'Oh look we captured Antonio, you have to release your control over him now, not like you can make him kill himself in an instant or anything."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kiki had easily released Liv of the trap that had been rigged to drop her to her death and now watched the younger disarm a bomb before her eyes. "Where did you learn to do that?" Kiki asked the younger, watching as the timer flickered off. "Someone dropped off a bomb at my school, you learn pretty quickly when you only have five minutes," Liv replied in a monotone.

"Really?" Kiki asked, amazed at the thought of the youngest 'old team' member disarming a bomb in five minutes. "No, I used my weakness detection ability," Liv replied. "Oh you've been devolving your powers then?" a new voice drawled, Liv and Kiki turned around to see Nick Fury, Natasha, Madeline and Chiara. Madeline was the one that had spoken. "Liv are you okay?" Chiara ran up to her charge. After the team had broken up, even though Liv had stayed with SHIELD Chiara agreed to be her guardian and they had lived together ever since with Liv going to high school and Chiara becoming a famous artist.

"I'm fine, he didn't hurt me," Liv replied, "He couldn't have if he wanted to, anyway." "I was worried sick! Not to mention you were captured by them, bastard!" "It wasn't Antonio that caught me it was... him." Liv said, her last word in a barely audible tone of voice, looking away from the group before her. A moment of silence showered over the group, broken only by a scoff by Fury.

"Romanoff, please gather all the avengers by the morning in Stark's new tower. Thor is already present, staying with Stark," Fury ordered. Natasha nodded, knowing she would discover the reason tomorrow as so she left, leaving Madeline, Chiara, Kiki and Liv with Fury. "Varges, I believe that your home has enough space that you can hold all of the members of your team for the night, correct?" "Yes but my-" "Good, Kiki I believe you know the way to Stark tower, be there at nine a.m. sharp." "Wait I have school tomorrow!" Liv protested. "I expect to see you all there." Without listening to any of the complaints that drifted after him Fury left.

"Pff, eye patch bastardo, I never said I'd rejoin the team!" Chiara yelled. "Wait you're not going to Chiara?" Liv asked, looking at her mentor with puppy dog eyes. "But everyone else came back too, we were so happy to think the whole team was going to get back together," Madeline sniffled. "It's such a shame, I guess we'll have to tell everyone else that Chiara didn't want to see them," Kiki muttered. "Bastards, I guess I'll do it, come on," Chiara snapped.

* * *

The next morning the Avengers were assembled in the newly built Avengers Tower, on call by Fury. Of course it was eight in the morning and no one particularly was very happy about the early morning call. The resident billionaire was nursing a cup of steaming coffee, as Thor munched on a pop tart and Steve was drinking a glass of water having gotten done with his morning workout previously.

"Now that we are all here," Fury shot a glare at Tony who'd been the last to arrive," I will be briefing you on your next mission, and new, temporary teammates." "New comrades?" the majority of the Avengers shouted, Tony spat out his coffee towards Steve and Thor splattered pop tart crumbs across the table. Fury checked his watch, already angered that the team was late. "Yes, the team once known as United World will be joining you, they have experience on the target of your next missio-!"

A high pitched squeal suddenly echoed through the room. In the split second the door had opened a man in his early 20s with wheat blond hair and sky blue eyes was kneeling in front of Steve, gripping both of his hands with a grin so wide that it reached ear to ear. "Oh my god! Maddie! I am holding the hands of Captain America! The Captain America who was the first hero, oh my god. Look at him, he's just like the stories, a brave fearless leader! Is it really true you got trapped in all that ice and survived?"

The newest arrival grasped Captain America's face, a hand on either cheek as he squished the first hero's face. "You're really him?" "Y-yes," Steven replied, his voice slightly muffled. The youth stared into his eyes for a moment, his face slightly red. He let go of Steven for a moment and took out his phone, slinging an arm over Steve's shoulder and pulling them close. "Selfie with Captain America!" he muttered, still fairly giddy. Then he turned back to Steven, sliding his phone into his pocket.

"No, that was a stupid question, if you didn't survive I couldn't be here, holding your, Captain America's, hands! Artie! Artie! Do you know who this is? This is Captain America!" the man kept blabbing and a second blond man entered. "Bloody hell Alfred, it's too early for this," he growled, hitting the first man on his head. Fury nodded to the second blond man as others entered the meeting room.

"Avengers, this is United World, you will be working together for an unforeseeable future until _Black Skull_ is taken out," Fury introduced, "Take a seat, now that you are here we'll be starting soon." The first man reluctantly released Steve's hands and pulled out the chair next to him. The excitement seemed slightly drained now although admiration still sparkled in his eyes. The majority of new arrivals also seated themselves around the table, leaving two standing.  
The man who sat closest to Steve was the fanboy. He was wearing a tan uniform and a brown bomber jacket with a '50' on the back. He had a pair of glasses on that were slightly tinted. The man, who must have been in his early 20s, also wore a pair of jeans with black combat boots. Overall his body type was like that of a high school jock. "Wass up, the names Alfred F. Jones, and being a hero is my game!"

The girl next to Alfred shyly smiled at the avengers. She was around the same age as Alfred looked to be with long, slightly curled pigtails. She wore a hoodie with maple leaves printed on the sides, and a matching skirt worn underneath it and a beret on her head. Her eyes are violet. She seemed to be quite quiet and well-mannered from her straight posture. "Hello, my name is Madeline Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl next to Madeline stood up and bowed. She was a short girl with her black hair in two buns on either side of her head. She was of Japanese descent and had a shine to her brown eyes. She had a flawless ivory skin tone. She wore a frilly black shirt with a short black skirt along with a pair of tights underneath them. Her shoes were black flats. "Kiki Honda, please take good care of me."

"Kesesese!" Everyone's attention turned to the next girl. The oldest woman of the group had white hair that didn't stop until the small of her back, with asymmetrical bangs and red eyes. The lady had relatively large assets. She wore a deep blue shirt with "Awesome" centered in white font and a white cross below it, along with a pair of jeans and deep blue tennis shoes. Nested in her hair was a little, yellow bird. She had a self-satisfied expression and was laughing is a series of Kesesese's. "Just like Kiki to be so polite. Gwen Belischmit I hope that you won't be as unawesome as I assume you all are!"

The next man was the tallest of the group wearing a long, heavy tan coat, green pants, black gloves, and a long pink scarf. He was very pale, and had a round, childish face with a prominent and distinctive nose. His hair was slightly wavy and a pale ashen blond, and his eyes are violet. His expression was a calm and gentle smile. Behind his constant smile none of the avengers could tell what he was thinking. He had a bulky and muscular frame. And in one hand the man held a bottle of Vodka. "Ivan Braginsky, I hope that you do not intend to get on my bad side, that would be very bad, da?"

"Oi, Vodka bastardo, don't fucking scare these other bastards!" The cussing woman had dark brown hair that went down to the small of her back with a red headband holding back her bangs and an olive complexion. Unlike the previous members she was standing, alert but looking unsteady. Her eyes were haunted green hues that shone faintly. She had a wild long curl, resting towards the right side of her head. As for clothes she wore a wrinkled dress shirt and jeans, looking like she had just slept in the shirt but changed her pants. Around her waist, partly hidden by the shirt, was a white belt with a few pouches on it, all of them were tiny and seemed to have a small label on them that none of the avengers could make out before the woman had noticed them staring and pulled down his shirt so the belt was no longer visible. "You're Chiara Varges!" Tony exclaimed. "No shit barstardo, took you long enough," the Italian grumbled.

The youngest at the table, who the Italian was keeping an eye on, had long, light blond hair and dull blue eyes. She wore a black school uniform with the crest to an elite high school on the jacket. Holding back a part of her bangs was a Nordic Cross barrette in her hair. "Liv Boldevick."

The last man had messy, short blond hair and lime-green eyes with a rather slender frame. His eyebrows were very prominent and bushy. He held himself high and proper, his chin lifted as he watched the sitting members of his group carefully. He wore a crumpled green suit, rubbing his head and looking as though he was suffering from a hangover. "I am Arthur Kirkland, the leader of the... Since we were terminated has our name changed?"

The question was directed at Fury however he was not the one that gave feedback. "Dudes we should totally be called the All American Gang!" The members stared at Alfred for a minute. "I-I agree with Alfred-san," Kiki muttered. "There's no way I'm going to be called an American, you bloody twat!" "But Artie, America is like the best country ever!" Alfred whined. "I think-" Madeline started out in a quiet voice but everyone ignored her.

"Why don't you all just become one with mother Russia?" Ivan asked, smiling at the Italian as a dark atmosphere radiated off of him. "CHIGI! Help me!" Chiara yelped. "Did someone call for a hero, get away from her you damn commie!" "Kesesese! How unawesome to fight like that, we should obviously be called the Awesome Prussian Eight!" "Prussia isn't even a country anymore git!" "How dare you say that! Get him Gilbird!"

"Are they always like this, kid?" Tony asked Liv whom was sitting next to him. "I was told that when they were first a team, without their powers under control, it would become a lot worst. There's only a few people in the world who can stop it," Liv said in a monotone voice, taking a long drink of her coffee. "At least Gwen's cooking isn't that bad?!" Alfred exclaimed. For a half a second Arthur looked purely shocked and deeply offended. "My cooking isn't that bad you twat!" "Not that bad, your scones almost killed me, right Franny-" Gwen cut off, the happy look in her eyes fading in an instant.

Fury sighed deeply, having been rendered useless in stopping their fight which had ended because of a single name. "I'm sorry," Gwen murmured, sitting down in her chair which she had rose from, the little yellow bird perching on her head. "Who is this Franny you speak of?" Thor asked, oblivious to the sudden mood. "Francis Bonnefey, and Yang Chun-Yan and Ivan were three of the founding members of this team along with Arthur Kirkland. The United World, as it was once called, was designed to act in the terms the Avengers do now."

"Over the course of the years the United World had secretly saved the lives of many, stopped invasions and saved the world many times from the shadows. From the mutants they had saved six of them had been deemed with powers that would enhance the team's ability to function. Alfred F. Jones, and Madeline W. Jones were both rescued from a lab that was trying to harness their powers as a power source and experiment on them as a way to use them for weapons. Kiki Honda saved countless lives in a hostage situation in which she held off the mutant robbers until the United World arrived."

"Gwen joined soon after, under special circumstances that at this point are classified," Fury said, pausing to clear his throat. Gwen let out a sigh of relief as she petted the small bird. Tony made a mental note to dip into more of SHIELD's files later for the information. "Chiara Varges was in protective custody of a SHIELD agent and decided to join the team to help mutants who may have not had complete control over their powers such as she did at one point."

"For some time the United World ended many criminal activities around the world, even HYDRA had stopped causing trouble and for around two years the world was as close as it had ever come to peace," Fury paused, looking at each of the team members. "Why only two years, what happened?" Steve asked, casting a glance at the United World members.

"A villain known as _Black Skull_ appeared. This is also why you have all been called together, to defeat Black Skull who has recently been terrorizing the world," Fury stopped once more, passing around pictures of the threat. In the picture the subject wore a black helmet that covered up his whole head and face, a film covering Black skull's eyes that he could presumably see through. The menacing figure wore full-fledged ancient Chinese armor that was pure black. "The armor was taken from Miss Wang's private collection as a… trophy after her death," Fury explained.

"Our first encounter with him was perhaps the most dramatic lost we had ever faced," Arthur broke in, his voice bitter. " _Black Skull_ attacked our headquarters when Chun-Yan, Alfred, Antonio, Francis, Kiki and I were on a mission. He captured Chiara and held her in his base for over three months, forcing Chiara's powers to grow at a heightened rate. Damn it, if only I'd been there," Arthur slammed his fist down on the table causing coffee to swish out of the present cups, with the exception of Liv's cup as she had lifted it at the last second. Chiara flinched at the loud noise, shifting uncomfortably.

"In that prison, _Black Skull_ was holding Liv there for the majority of her life, having a doctor tell her parents that she hadn't made it through birth. As time went on _Black Skull_ captured two more of us, Gwen and Kiki. The three of them were nearly dead due to the overwhelming growth in their powers," Alfred added, underneath the table he was already holding Kiki's hand, trying to calm the both of them down.

"Finally, we had found out where _Black Skull_ 's location was thanks to Gwen sneaking out of her cell and sending out a signal. We staged a rescue party however even though we had the upper hand the results were not as good as excepted. Wang Chun-Yan died during the rescue, protecting Ivan who was injured. Both Francis and Toni were lost to Black Skull's mind control as they rescued Gwen. And slowly the team disbanded," Arthur finished up.

"After United World disbanded _Black Skull_ went back underground, losing the location of the team members is our best guess. However, as you saw last night, Agent Romanoff, _Black Skull_ has discovered Chiara, and Liv's location. If _Black Skull_ is to be defeated both the Avengers and United World must work together," Fury said.

"I am in, Director, I will not allow _Black Skull_ to take another life," Kiki said, saddened by the reminders of her sister's death. "If Kiki's in, so am I," Madeline added, "We need to get Francis and Toni back, we can't leave them with _Black Skull_ any longer." "Don't even think about cutting me out of this action dudes, the hero is here!" Alfred proclaimed, standing up and putting one foot on the table. "Kesesesese! I hope Black Skull's ready for my awesomeness!" Gwen declared, leaning back in her chair. "If all of you bastards are doing this, I might as well," Chiara smirked. "I am already with SHIELD it is too late for me to back down, I must repay Francis, Toni and Chun-Yan for saving me," Liv stated calmly. "I will crush _Black Skull_ with your aid, da?" Ivan smiled, scaring a large fraction of the present people. "If all of you gits are doing this, I guess I will have to do so to, either that or let Alfred take over as United World's leader," Arthur sighed.  
"Will the Avengers assist us?" Arthur asked. Steve cast a glance at each Avenger who nodded in the unspoken agreement. "We will," Captain America answered, standing and extending a hand to Arthur which he gladly shook.


	4. Chapter 4: Lost Friends

Welcome back to this month's only chapter of United World. So first I'd like to say thanks to my three reviewers and I'd appreciate even more in the future. I haven't been able to write much because I've had a thirty page worth assignment from my English teacher. But I finally finished it and want to devote the majority of the weekend to typing on both of my ongoing stories. Please suggest any little plot you think would be fun to read about, involving any characters that have been introduced! Again I don't own Hetalia or the Avengers but I do own the plot. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think!

* * *

Chapter 4

Lost Friends

* * *

"Will the Avengers assist us?" Arthur asked. Steve cast a glance at each avenger who nodded in the unspoken agreement. "We will," Captain America answered, standing and extending a hand to Arthur which he gladly shook.

"For now you are all dismissed, be prepared for missions in a moment's notice as well," Fury said, turning and walking swiftly out of the room. "Liv, I can drive you so you're not late for school," Chiara offered her charge. "Oh, Chiara could I trouble you for a ride to my restaurant, it's just a little way outside New York, actually everyone can come and I can treat you to a breakfast," Madeline said. Alfred beamed at Madeline, but frowned as if an afterthought," You're going to give all of us free pancakes, this seems too good to be true."

"I would appreciate your pancakes too, Madeline-chan," Kiki smiled lightly. "I can't wait to eat all of your pancakes, birdie!" Gwen smiled. "I only have room for five of you bastards in my car, I can't possible take all fourteen of us!" Chiara protested. "Actually, I think that I'll just stay here," Bruce spoke up, causing Madeline to shoot a pained glance at him. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't expect someone to not come, I was hoping we could all get to know each other better too," Madeline sniffled. "Good going Banner, you made the girl cry in the first hour you've known her," Stark whispered to his fellow scientist, before speaking up, taking Madeline's hand and kissing it," It's okay sweetheart, I can take the rest in a limo, I'm sure Banner does want to join us, if not well then he's missing the opportunity to get to know a lovely lady such as yourself."

Tony Stark expected one of the two reaction. The first, the one he had expected that is, was Madeline's face turning red in a blush. The second, however, was the unexpected one of getting kicked and punched at the same time by Gwen and Alfred. Arthur covered his mouth to keep from laughing, which was the same in Steve's case. Natasha raised an eyebrow, surprised by their skill. Clint laughed along with Chiara, both knowing that Stark deserved it. Ivan, Bruce and Liv just stared at the antics of the group.

"Don't even think about it, Stark," Alfred growled, "Next time, I'm not holding back."

* * *

In another part of the world, or rather another place in New York City, quite close to the Avengers tower in fact, Antonio, Francis and a few other notable people stood in an empty warehouse. "Have you reported that you were unsuccessful to lord _Black Skull_ yet, Toni?" Francis chuckled, looking towards a group of young women present. "Ah, sadly, it is always a pain to disappoint him, but," the Spaniard lowered his voice, " _Black Skull'_ s control has been slipping, probably due to the amount of followers, you feel it too, right?"

"Why, of course my friend, those young ladies over there are stunning," Francis exclaimed in a loud voice, throwing his arm over Antonio's shoulders, then he whispered, "Indeed I do feel it, yet it has already been so long, I do not believe _Black Skull's_ control will fade completely for quite so time yet my friend, at least he may no longer listen in on us." "Francis, why did you say that so loudly, I'm sorry about mi amigo," Antonio waved to the girls who giggled, "It looked like Fury was trying to get UW back together anyway, perhaps we will be free soon."

"Ah, that would be nice, to be free again, I'd even get to see Madeline again, and tease Arthur. Maybe take a break from all that hero stuff too," Francis sighed. In the front of the warehouse, where a tiny stage made out of crates had been formed a figure wearing black armor appeared. Antonio let out a soft growl that only Francis could hear, staring at the UW's enemy who controlled a part of them.

"Brothers, sisters, we have gathered here, for the first time in three years, as our greatest threat once more rises against us," _Black Skull_ called, at the sound of his voice all of the followers had cast their blank gaze towards the leader. A wave of outraged shouts rang throughout the crowd at the mention of a threat. "United World," _Black Skull_ spat out the name as if it was poison, "The organization that put a stop to our plans with the injury they had given me."

Francis remembered the injury _Black Skull_ had received like it was yesterday. It was…..one of the UW who had dealt the damage, Francis couldn't remember, that was where the strongest block on his mind was. Anyway, Chun-Yan had just been killed by Black Skull, and the UW member was the only one left standing between Ivan, Kiki, Chiara, Madeline and that young Norwegian girl. The women, for that was the extent that Francis could remember of her, had nearly killed Black Skull, in fact, if it wasn't for the mental hooks, Francis would have thought that _Black Skull_ was killed.

"Now, it is time for our revenge! With this, we will finally stop SHIELD and all the bad they have caused!" A roar of cheers echoed in the warehouse now, seeming to almost shake the building. "And so, my fellows, we will once again take everything from them as they have done to us, starting with their new allies."

* * *

Madeline cast a happy glance around the table the Avengers and the UW were getting along well, devouring pancakes, and causing a lot of attention towards the largest table in the small restaurant. "Your pancakes are as awesome as ever Maddie!" Gwen exclaimed around a mouthful of pancakes. "Gwen, it's very unbecoming for a lady to speak with food in her mouth," Arthur reprimand, taking a sip of black tea.

"Indeed Lady Gwen the Awesome these cakes of the pan are very delightful, we do not have these back in Asgard," Thor responded, ignoring Arthur. In just the car ride over to the café Gwen had convinced Thor that was how she was to properly be addressed. Stark coughed, almost choking at Thor's words, "You don't have pancakes in Asgard, what kind of life is that?" "Are cakes of the pan really so wonderful?" Thor asked. Gwen stood up, barely containing a laugh, "Of course, a life without pancakes is like a life without... without hammers!" Thor gasped and the conversation continued.

Chiara was peacefully sipping a cup of café bonbom, a type of Spanish coffee where espresso and condensed milk are mixed together. She was conversing with Bruce and Steve as well as Kiki about Kiki's new game. Mostly trying to inform Steve how video games had developed in the years he'd been frozen. Kiki's eyes burned with the fiery passion as she explained the animation techniques and story line. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Natasha and Ivan were having a discussion in Russian while Clint looked at the two, looking very lost as he glanced back and forth between them.

The two groups seemed to be getting on well, but Madeline still wondered how well they would work together in a fight. It had been a few years since any of the UW had fought as a team, and Madeline hadn't exactly spent the last year in the hero business, unlike Alfred whose abilities were still quite polished. Not to mention, after their raid on Black Skull Chiara had lost control of her powers again, and who knew how long that would last, or if she had already gotten it under control. In addition, everyone in UW was out of high school, with the exception of Liv, and now they had jobs or college that they couldn't skip out on as they had done in the past.

"-ddie! Maddie! Is anyone home!?" Madeline jumped, her chair falling down with her in it, looking up to see everyone at the table looking at her with varying degrees of concern. "Hey, are you okay sis?" Alfred asked, helping her up. "I'm fine, I'm very sorry, I was just thinking and…" Madeline trailed off, blushing even harder. "I thought you would have control over your _mind trance_ after all of this time, Madeline," Arthur commented, surprised. "Mind trance?" Bruce asked, curiously looking between Madeline and Arthur.

"It's one of birdie's powers. _Mind trance_ , the ability to access the users mind in the fullest, basically like overthinking something but much more powerful, birdie can even remember the first word she spoke if she's in it for long enough," Gwen explained. "That's amazing!" Stark yelled, startling the whole restaurant, "If I had a power like that, think of all the…." The billionaire trailed off, as though realizing he was speaking his thoughts. "Never mind," Stark quickly said.  
"Speaking of which, it would probably be more to our advantage in a fight to know of each others powers," Natasha reasoned, taking a sip of her coffee, "I am a master martial artist, capable of hacking, handling guns, and multilingual."

"Oh! I'll go next!" Alfred practically screamed, "I have _super strength_ and _speed_ , and I have _pyrokinesis!_ " Alfred smiled and was about to demonstrate until Madeline shook her head, after all she didn't think her insurance covered her brother burning down the building. "Well, I am Iron Man, as you all probably know, and the abilities range from suit to suit," Tony smirked.

"I am a sword master and I can use _extrasensory perception_ which can influence emotions and sensations, along with _emotion empowerment_ which can strengthen or weaken someone based on their emotions, and I can see into the past sometimes," Kiki spoke up. Madeline grinned, realizing she hadn't told the Avengers about her _Familiarity_ power, which enables her to see things ordinary humans cannot, such as ghost, or invisible people. "I can turn into the other guy, but I'd rather not, if possible so count on me for back up and research," Bruce said, looking down at his coffee.

"Comrades, I am able to _manipulate both shadows and ice,_ my powers are very strong so it would be wise of you to keep your distance when I am fighting, da?" Ivan explained. Although it sounded rude, Ivan was telling the truth, most of his attacks covered a fair amount of room around him, and if you happened to be in that circle, well it was hard for Ivan to stop his attack once started. "All of you have made the Awesome me to wait too long!" Gwen exclaimed, "I can _shape shift_ , and _manipulate sound waves_ , and," Gwen paused, and Madeline could spot Arthur's hand move as though he hit her under the table, "and that's it!"

"I am the leader of the United World, as I stated before and my powers consist of t _elepathic force manipulation, light manipulation, regeneration,_ as well as being able to _see magical creatures,_ " Arthur said calmly. A second afterwards both Tony and Alfred burst out laughing. "Magical creatures, aren't you a little too old for that," Tony said between laughs. "No way dude, you should hear him talk to them, and he calls one of them Flying Mint Bunny!" Alfred laughed. "You bloody gits, I am being serious!" Arthur yelled. "Don't mind those bastards, just continue," Chiara growled.

"Right, well I was injected with the super solider serum which gave me super human abilities and I use a shield as my main weapon," Steve said, keeping an eye on the fighting trio in case it got out of hand. "M-My powers are _invisibility, teleportation, lightning manipulation, and mind trance._ I will try my best to help out in any fight," Madeline blushed as the boys stopped fighting and attention was focused on her. "Oi! Bastards! You're making Maddie uncomfortable! My powers include _fear shift_ which can make someone see what they fear the most, _Aura reading_ , and a technique called _Time River_ that allows me to speed up or slow down time," Chiara stepped in front of Madeline who had slowly been turning invisible, although leaving out her most dangerous powers. "I have super eyesight and am proficient at a bow and arrow," Clint said shortly.

The group sat around drinking coffee for a few minutes longer before Natasha's phone rang, the spy answered it, giving the occasional 'yes sir'. Moments passed before she hung up and turned to the group, "We are needed at the avengers' tower."

The two groups rode in silence, Chiara speeding in her car with a sense of unease filling her at the thought of Black Skull, along with Liv also having a few hours left in school and being unavailable. She gripped the driving wheel as her knuckles began to turn white. In a few minutes time they had arrived back to the Avengers' tower and been ushered inside by a couple of SHIELD agents.

As they made it to the meeting room, three of the large TVs were playing footage of the cities being attacked. On the right most one Washington D.C. was displayed, the capital was being attacked by a few dozen people with guns that looked like nothing anyone in the room had seen before. The middle screen displayed Las Vegas, normal looking citizens seemed to be destroying the city, as if everyone's mind was being controlled. The last screen showed the other side of New York, it was being attacked by a group of mutants, each with blank expressions.

"Alright let's suit up," Captain America said, not taking his eyes off the screens of the multiple locations being attacked. "It'll be easier to handle all of these if we slip up," Arthur reasoned, nodding. "I'll go with Gwen, Thor, Ivan, and Madeline to handle DC," Steve offered. "I can take Natasha, _Hawkeye_ , and Kiki to cover Philadelphia," Arthur replied. "Which means Stark, Banner, Alfred, and I will take care of the attackers in New York," Chiara finished.

"Wait! Our suits were basically destroyed," Arthur pointed out. "They were, however, once the need to recall united world arose, all of your suits were fully restored with my special features," Fury replied. A nearby SHIELD agent led United World to one of the many labs of Avengers tower. In front of the team were their suits, looking as magnificent as ever behind a layer of glass. "Well then, it's been too long since I've been able to say this. United World, suit up!" Arthur called, the whole team cheering.

* * *

Chiara was the last to finish putting her suit on, which was composed of a dazzling dark blue cloak that nearly brushed the ground as she stood straight up. Her shirt was a lighter blue with no design but had a buckle connecting her cloak over it. Chiara wore a dark blue skirt which went down midway to her knees along with a pair of black leggings. She wore a pair of dark blue combat boots that felt heavier than her old ones. Finally, she wore a mask over her green eyes that was dark blue.

Beside her Kiki wore a pair of black boots that fit close to her skin and didn't stop until mid-thigh. Above her boots she wore a short black skirt that had a long sash coming down from it. Hanging from her black belt was a long katana that had a black blade. She wore a dark purple shirt with black trim that had one inch sleeves. Just below her shoulders to her palms were black gloves that went to her first knuckles.

Gwen wore a white long sleeved shirt under an unbuttoned, short sleeved black jacket that went down to mid-calf. Around her waist was a black belt with silver designs. She wore a white skirt that ended at mid-calf. She wore a pair of black fingerless gloves with two silver rings on either of her hands. Her mask was black and white, with silver accents. Over her shoulders she wore a black scarf and underneath that were two black shoulder cuffs. Her boots were high heeled and went up a little bit before her jacket ended, with her hair mostly in a ponytail. With her white hair and red eyes she looked as though she were an avenging angel.

Madeline wore a light gray shirt under a travel jacket of the same shade. She had a short shirt that was light gray with a black belt that had a dark gray pouch on it. Under her skirt she had dark gray tights and then light gray knee high boots. She wore long dark gray gloves. On either side of her tights there was a lighter gray lightning bolt from mid-calf to knee. Over her eyes was a lighting blue colored mask. Hanging from her back was a storm gray, short cape that went to the small of her back.

Alfred wore a shirt that even with the tiniest movement seemed to have flames dance across it, burning as though it was full of hot embers. Slung over one shoulder was a fiery cape that went down to his ankles. His pants were just black jeans and he kept his combat boots on. Over his eyes was a mask made of the same material as his cape and shirt.

Ivan had a robe like, hazy white top that had a hood hanging from the back, black trim and cuffs at the end of his sleeves. On his hands were black fingerless gloves. His scarf was still around his neck, flowing out down his back, however this scarf was an ice blue, with a black ending. His pants were white and long with ice blue bottoms. Over his eyes was an ice blue mask with black trim.

Arthur had on a white cloak with red crosses on either side of his chest. His pants were white and long, almost seeming to be part of his cloak that ended at his knees. Around his neck was a sliver chain and on one wrist he had a golden chain bracelet. Over his green eyes was a white mask.

After suiting up the United World met back up with the avengers to find Thor was looking around, almost looking frantic. "What's wrong Thor?" Madeline asked, adjusting her mask slightly. "My hammer," he replied, not paying mind instead of trying to find his weapon. "Oh you mean this?" Alfred asked, holding up said hammer as though it was a feather.

Chiara stared at Alfred in amazement, while Thor looked like he was about to faint. "Alfred you do know what it means to pick up Thor's hammer, right?" Kiki asked, staring at Alfred. The American stared at the Japanese girl for a second, throwing the whole group in suspense as he opened his mouth to answer. "It means…" Alfred began gravely, pausing, "that Thor has to share his pop tarts with me!" The whole group dropped to the floor comically.

A loud bang resounded through the room as Alfred arm, and the rest of his body, was dragged to the floor as the hammer fell. As if Alfred not knowing its power had caused the hammer to no longer deem him worthy. "Yay! I get pop tarts!" Thor picked up his hammer, holding it as he stared in wonder of how Alfred did not know the tale of picking up his hammer.

"That's enough fooling around, we need to get going," Arthur said, hitting Alfred over the head, " _Black Widow, Hawkeye, Black Cat_ let's get going." Kiki, Natasha and Clint nodded leaving with Arthur on one of the helicopters SHIELD was using to transport them. " _Iron Man,_ Banner, and _Fire Storm,_ let's go bastards," Chiara, _Rome_ , said, leaping into one of the copters with the others behind her. "Looks like we're the last to leave then, _Thor,_ Gwen, Ivan, Madeline," Steve said. "Please, Gwen's _Whisper,_ Maddie's _Bolt_ , and the damn commie is _Blizzard king_ ," Alfred replied helping Madeline into the copter as Ivan and Steve got in.

* * *

Arthur, _Spectrum_ , jumped out of the heli into a war zone. Of course, it was nothing compared to Arthur's previous wars during his long life, but in the recent years it came close to the most violent scene yet. Philadelphia's streets were filled with rioting crowds, some people waving guns among the civilians. The police force was already attempting to hold them back, yet even their efforts seemed useless.

Windows on either side of the streets were shattered and the distant sound of screaming hit the four like a tidal wave. "Avengers, you're finally here!" a man, the police chief exclaimed running over to the group. The police chief who once ran towards them with confidence slowed down once he saw Arthur and Kiki. "Greetings, I'm _Spectrum_ , I'll be working with the Avengers, along with _Black Cat_ and the rest of my team. For now, tell us how we may be of help," Arthur requested in a thick accent.

"Er, right, as you can see we are trying to hold back the rioters but those with guns are unpredictable, loose cannons if you will and we have no way to separate them. We also can't subdue the rioters effectively at the moment without injuring them," the chief explained.

"No problem, call back your men and form a perimeter two blocks towards the city center. Also, try to have your men gather up any citizens not in the riot and put them behind the perimeter. We'll handle everything from there," Arthur said, leaving the police chief to rush off on his duties, " _Black Widow_ , if you are comfortable with doing so, I need you to enter the crowd as a rioter and single out anyone with a gun, after that I'll handle them. _Hawkeye_ , _Black Cat_ , while we work to single out those with guns I'm going to need you to hold the ground before the rioters, don't let them reach the police perimeter. Once we have any of the citizens with guns away, _Black Cat_ I'll leave the rest up to you, I hope you're not out of practice for larger crowds."

"I will be just fine, _Spectrum_ , the crowd should be no problem for me, in fact it couldn't be easier," _Black Cat_ responded. "I'll start immediately," _Black Widow_ commented seemingly vanishing around the corner to enter the crowd a block away. "I'll try to help you two hold back the mob for a few seconds," _Spectrum_ said, watching the rioters approach, one hundred meters away, glass shattered at the roar of gunshots, a melody of screams and cheers bouncing off the sky scrapers.

Ninety meters away now, the three heroes could catch glimpse of a red head bobbing and weaving its way into the crowd. Eighty meters away, behind them the heroes could hear the sounds of the police setting up barricades and escorting people away. Seventy, Sixty, Natasha had near at least five people for more than a few seconds, walking beside them and moving on, _Spectrum_ engraved those faces into his memory as the people that had guns.

Fifty, _Hawkeye_ began to load an arrow into his bow, probably one that would halt the riot. Forty, _Spectrum_ looked to _Black Cat_ who gave him a small nod, ten people were now cleared as those having guns and Black Widow began to repeat the pattern of walking beside them for each a shorter period of time. Thirty, the _Black Widow_ slipped out of view, presumably to fall back to not get caught in the attack and to aid in the fight. Twenty, and that was when the battle began.

* * *

Madeline, _Bolt_ , sat quietly as the others conversed in the small plane around her. Two SHIELD agents, and the rest of the group she was to be fighting with. She shifted slightly in her seat, almost uncomfortable at the feel of her suit, it felt so foreign compared to her first one that Francis had made her. She silenced the thought immediately, thinking of Francis wouldn't do her any good, not until she got him back into her arms.

But for now she could only think of how high the possibility of fighting Francis that day would be, surely _Black Skull_ already foresaw the teams' arrangements and sent Francis and maybe Toni to the spot where Bolt's team was currently headed. The villain had a way of getting into the team's heads, almost as though _Black Skull_ had known the team since childhood. It was a suspicion that had followed Madeline for years. With the knowledge _Black Skull_ had of the team, any of their friends, SHIELD relations, old enemies or even those they rescued in the past could be _Black Skull_ or be working with him.

 _Bolt_ jumped slightly as _Whisper_ lightly tapped her on the shoulder alerting her to the fact that they had arrived at their destination. Already the team was getting their gear ready as the helicopter descended and finally landed, allowing for the heroes to usher out and face the despair that lay to greet them. In front of them lay the area of DC, smoke oozed into the sky and the screams of citizens rang throughout the city.

"It's pure chaos," _Whisper_ stated, looking out in fear, and wonder at the city. "We need to begin with evacuating citizens," _Bolt_ replied, looking toward _Captain America_. " _Blizzard King, Thor_ and I will begin to do that, I want you two to look for the leaders of this operation, I'm sure _Black Skull_ himself didn't come here, the sooner we find out whose leading the mission the sooner we can end it," _Captain America_ responded. "Will do Captain, let's meet back here at 20:00," _Whisper_ replied. With a final salute, the two groups parted.

"We should probably head to where there is the most chaos at the moment, you okay with that birdie?" _Whisper_ asked as the two girl trekked in the midst of the damage already done to the city. "I think that would be for the best. Could you send Gilbird to scout ahead for us?" _Bolt_ asked, pointing to the small bird that rested on Gwen's head. "Course he can, he's an awesome bird," _Whisper_ grinned before having a short moment of pause and the little bird flew off, rising to the skies.

They waited for what seemed to be hours amidst the destruction but in truth was only a minute for the little bird to return. "He says he'll lead up to where he saw the people who caused this. Are you ready, birdie?" asked the shapeshifter. "Whenever you are." "Lead the way Gilbird!"

The two teammates ran through the burning city, led by the small bird until they reached an insurance company that went up in flames before their eyes. The two halted but Gilbird flew on slightly before turning back impatiently. "He says that these aren't the ones who started all this, they are just lackeys. He'll take us to the bosses of this operation," Gwen explained. "Is there anyone in the building?" _Bolt_ asked. _Whisper_ looked at Gilbird who tweeted before she shook her head.

They continued on until they saw a mob of twenty or so people. In the center, order the normal citizens around, were two very well-known people to the two of them. Francis and Antonio were ordering around the group whose arms were loaded with stolen jewels. As _Whisper_ and _Bolt_ landed before the group, choosing a direct confirmation rather than spying all words ceased.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't mon ami _Bolt_ , and a companion from UW," Francis purred. "Franny, Toni," Gwen whispered. However, the two heroines did not notice the two mutants behind the ex-agent duo until they were blown backwards. Gwen made a reasonable sized dent in a building, or more like a hole. Madeline flew down the street making her own dent in the paved road. "You two, handle _Bolt_ , we will handle that one," Francis ordered. With a nod the two mutant ran to attack Madeline.

"Your still such a softie, not being able to hurt Bolt. You're always protecting her, even though those two can't hold a match to her," Antonio said, looking at their target. "Indeed, even under Black Skull's control, I could not stand to hurt her. Now, this heroine, _Whisper_ , I believe, is one of the ones that _Black Skull_ wants. Perhaps if we can capture her this time, we'll get a delay in our orders to capture Roma."

Gwen looked up, her body groaning reluctantly as she was half buried in a wall. She attempted to sit up, stand up and help the others but in that moment she stopped. In front of her was Francis and Antonio, the other two thirds of the bad touch trio of SHIELD. "Franny, Toni," Gwen said in awe. Maybe they had broken free of _Black Skull's_ control and come to help her. "Do you know her, Francis?"

"Eh?" Gwen stared, fear beginning to overtake her as she stared at her friends. "Non, I think I would remember meeting such a girl" Francis replied. "It's me, Gwen, you guys this isn't funny, please we've been friends since we were kids," Gwen stuttered. She looked around for Madeline, but could not find her, which panicked her even more. "And just why would we be friends with a new member of the United World?" Antonio asked, smiling. Yet his smile seemed wrong, almost demented or tortured.

"B-But you remember Maddie," Gwen protested, weakly standing up, gripping her bleeding arm. "Let's finish this, _Whisper. Black Skull_ wishes to have a meeting with you," Francis replied, pulling out the gun on his belt. "Si, amigo," Antonio responded, leveling his own gun to Gwen's knee. "Toni, Franny… Please stop, you know I can't fight you. Please…. Stop," Gwen whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

 _Let me out, Gwen. If you die, I die too_ , a voice reasoned in Gwen's mind. The white haired heroine shook her head slowly. Panic overwhelmed her quickly, building momentum with each passing second. Her legs shook underneath her, unwilling to hold her up any longer. A sharp pain built up in her chest and her clenched palms felt sweaty. Gwen's breathing quickened, almost at the point of hyperventilation. "Franny, Toni, please," Gwen whispered.

The two ex-agents' guns fired in unison.


	5. Chapter 5: Surviving Queen

So yes I know I said only one chapter this month, but I just couldn't help it! Or actually I have a case of writers block where I am at currently and could use some motivation so hearing your guys' sweet reviews has already helped me! Moving on, IF YOU HAVE LITERALLY ANY IDEA OR LITTLE DRABBLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT IT SO I CAN CONSIDER IT, mostly because I really like this story and the character and I am already planning to have a ton of little extras! I don't own Hetalia or the Avengers but I do own the plot! Please enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Surviving Queen**

* * *

"I hope those other bastards are doing alright. It's been a while since any of us have seen any action," _Rome_ commented. They had been put down closer to where the trouble was supposed to be happening in New York. However, even though they had been there for five minutes it was completely quiet and none of the destruction that had been shown on the screen was visible. As though the damage had disappeared. Or been fake.

"They'll be fine. _Bolt_ might have not been in the news, but she has stopped a few robberies. _Black Cat_ and _Spectrum_ also make a great team. With his strategies, I'm sure they couldn't loose. _Whisper_ can also use _that_ if she gets into trouble. And _Blizzard King_ won't be taken down without a fight," _Firestorm_ replied. "You also can't underestimate our teammates," _Iron Man_ interjected. "I know, I did watch the footage of you guys during the Alien Invasion, after all. Although it'd be so cool to fight with _Captain America_ right now," _Firestorm_ signed dreamily.

"Who do you think lured us here?" Bruce Banner asked suddenly. He had stopped in front of a house that, in the video, had been demolished. "Without a doubt it is probably _Black Skull's_ underlings. The others are probably encountering them as well," _Rome_ replied, glancing around for any signs of life, "It also seems that this area had been evacuated, or all of its citizens are under _Black Skull's_ control and were ordered to leave."

"Very close, _Rome_ , however it was not my underlings I sent." Before the two Avengers could manage to blink _Rome_ was on the ground with _Firestorm_ standing above her, a sword conjured of fire in his hands. Sparks flew as the steel sword hit _Firestorm's_ the owner wearing pitch black Samurai armor. " _Black Skull_ , who would have thought you'd be so desperate as to come into the battlefield yourself. I wonder how you can even move after what Gwen did to you," _Firestorm_ growled, shoving the dark villain away using his sword.

Banner and _Iron Man_ quickly ran to join Alfred, the former helping _Rome_ stand. "That beast could never keep me down for long. My allies would never allow you to defeat me either, Alfred," _Black Skull spat_. Unnoticed by Stark or Banner both, Alfred and Chiara's hearts skipped a beat. "Why are you here, _Black Skull_?" Chiara voiced, trembling like a leaf.

Although none of them could see the villain's face they could hear the smile in their voice as they spoke. "I thought it was simple, little Roma, we have split your forces into three. However, my target isn't here, I had hoped you'd bring the little one with you, Liv as you call her. But you may want to rush to your allies' aid, before any more damage is done. That is, if you can defeat my armies."

They watched as the villain turned away and began walking back down the street, slowly and tauntingly though the air so thick you could slice through it with a knife. "Wait!" _Rome_ called. "Are you…?" She let the question hand in midair, suspended between the urge to know the truth and the horror that would come with it. "Tell Ivan what you know. Perhaps that will give me someone interesting to mess with while I wait for my allies to come. Tell him-!" But before the villain could finish speaking, _Black Skull_ had vanished. "Chi, was that-?" Alfred could not bring himself to finish the sentence as he stared wide eyed at the place _Black Skull_ had stood.

"It was, Chun-Yan is alive."

* * *

Gwen flinched at the sound of the two guns firing and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, knowing her legs could not support her if she tried to move. With the pain _she_ would come out. _She_ would not let Francis and Toni get away unscathed, if they would even be able to get away. She heard of sound of one bullet ping against a foreign object while the other one barely scraped against her right knee. She fell down, her eyes opening behind the mask as she stared at the rubble filled ground, her legs had finally given out.

"Comrade Gwen are you okay?" a familiar voice asked. "Ivan, Maddie is, she's…" Gwen trailed off, swallowing the bile she felt rising in her throat. "I'm here Gwen," Maddie's sweet voice answered. "Madeline," Gwen heard the whisper filled with pain from Francis. _Oh they still don't remember me_ , Gwen realized.  
"Get her to safety," another voice ordered. "Nyte, we're surrounded captain," Ivan replied. _Captain?_ Gwen asked herself, _Arthur_. _They hurt us, Gwen, they hurt Maddie, we must make them pay. Your friends will die because you are too scared, you have the power to save them, but you won't use it. Let me, Gwen, let me help before you get the both of us killed._ "No," Gwen muttered.

"Step away, you three. We are not here for you; _Black Skull_ only wants her. Give her to us, and we will not order our company here to attack you," Toni said. _The others are going to get hurt because of you Gwen. You'll let the only family we've truly ever had, besides Ludwig, die because you're afraid. Your pathetic, let me help you_. "We'll have to fight to get out of here," Ivan muttered. "We can't leave Gwen unprotected though," Maddie replied. _I'm a burden to them right now… I can't do anything._ _Why don't they remember me? Let me fight, Gwen. Let me out now!_ "Back away!" a voice barked, the voice of Thor.

Then she heard Maddie yelp softly, and she lost what little control she had been left with.

Gwen watched as _she_ stood up. Watching the scene play out from outside her body. She saw the five of them surrounded by mutants, Francis and Toni. She saw the scratches that were scattered across Madeline's arms and face. She saw her four friends turn to her body as it stood up. She saw the moment realization dawned on Ivan, the surprised looks on Madeline, Thor and Captain America.

She saw her body smiled, her white hair shadowing her eyes. "Gwen?" Madeline asked. "Lady Whisper?" Thor asked, after a moment in which she hadn't responded to Maddie's question. " _Gwen's left for the moment, Birdie, but don't worry. These people are nothing to me,_ " she saw her body say. "Who are you?" Captain America asked, looking around at the enemies surrounding them.

 _"I am called Zamora."_

* * *

To say _Spectrum_ was mad when he saw _Firestorm_ and his group dropped off at the scene was an understatement, he was furious. To say Arthur Kirkland was happy when he saw Alfred and Chiara dropped off at the scene, well that was an understatement too, he was overjoyed.

"What are you doing here, _Firestorm, Rome_?" _Spectrum_ asked. Already, Kiki had spread out a wave of calmness that overtook the crowd and the police force was disarming the people who seemed to have just snapped out of a daze. "If this battle is already over, that means _Black Skull_ is going after someone on the last team," Chiara told Alfred, still leaving the other heroes out of the loop. " _Black Skull?_ Did you see him?" Kiki asked, clenching her Katana.

Alfred sent Kiki a small concerned look that vanished in a moment at the realization they were still on the battlefield. "We'll talk about it later. All of us need to be there," Chiara replied for Alfred, "But now, we need to get to the others. It was a stupid idea splitting up in the first place." Arthur looked around as the crowd of confused but calm rioters, it seemed like Black Skull only needed to control them momentarily or Kiki had been able to get rid of all the mental hooks.  
"Let's go, the others will need us," Arthur decided. "I've already talked to the local deputies, they'll work on getting people to their homes," Black Widow added, walking over to the group. "None of you can teleport can you? It'll be a couple hours by helicopter," Stark reasoned.

"None of us can, but Maddi-!" Chiara couldn't even finish her sentence when the Canadian girl suddenly popped right in front of them. "Arthur!" Maddie whisper-yelled, "You have to come quick, it's Z." The United World's members' eyes widened, Alfred's jaw dropping, while the Avengers were confused, who was Z?

"Everyone, please hold hands, it'll be hard for me to transport this big of a group so we'll need to form a circle, for some reason it'll conserve energy, something about channeling energy," Madeline explained quickly, grabbing onto Arthur's hand and Alfred's hand. In a few seconds the group was in a circle holding hands in Philadelphia. The next second they were all on the ground in Washington D.C., attempting to not puke up their guts out.

As each person regained their senses, they chanced a look around. People were scattered about around them, some with broken bones and others soaked in blood. With their back to a nearly demolished building was _Captain America_ holding up his shield in front of a wounded _Blizzard King_ , shielding him from _Whisper_. _Thor_ was lying in a decent sized crater on the street, unmoving, and bleeding from a multitude of wounds.

Without waiting for anyone to speak _Iron Man_ flew into _Whisper_ , knocking the albino beauty away from his wounded comrade. "Dammit, Stark don't aggravate her anymore!" Arthur snapped, pulling _Iron Man_ off his wounded teammate. Before the millionaire could protest any more Kiki pulled him away as Arthur held out his hand to _Whisper_.

"Are you okay, Z?" Arthur asked. Dazed, the woman looked up at him, "Oliver?" The name was practically hissed, as she stared up at him, squinting from the sunlight. "It's Arthur, _Zamora_ ," _Spectrum_ quietly corrected. "B-But Nikoli was here and…" the woman trailed off again, accepting Arthur's hand.

"What's going on?" Bruce Banner asked quietly to the other UW members. Madeline just shook her head, watching the scene carefully as _Captain American_ helped Ivan stand. The Russian was littered in bruises and dust and limping slightly as he walked to his comrades. "Francis and Toni," he muttered pointing over to the two fallen friends. Both were in bad shape, but still breathing.

Arthur had begun to calm down _Zamora_. As he had steadily gotten to know the other side of his teammate he had learned she had been the sole hero of another world. One with mercenary versions of them. When she had been killed by the equivalent to Ivan, for some reason she had become a hidden part of Gwen, aiming to protect both of them. She had refused to tell the team anymore than that.

"Are you okay?" Arthur said once more. _Zamora_ paled slightly, having forgotten about the bullet that grazed Gwen before. "Minor bleeding," she finally answered, "It also seems _Black Skull_ has forced Antonio and Francis to forget about us. Gwen and I that is. I've expanded too much of our power; I am sorry, Arthur." The British man smiled, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have left Gwen, thank you for protecting her."

 _Zamora_ smiled weakly, before her eyes turned to a lighter shade of red, her skin paling again, shirking slightly in height and hair returning to a pure white. "Arthur?" a softer, quieter voice asked shakily. "Welcome back Gwen," Arthur replied. _Spectrum_ thanked his quick reflexes as he was able to catch Gwen the moment she fainted.

Rain began to pitter patter on the ground as Arthur lifted Gwen up, turning to the group. "Can someone call in a Heli?"


	6. Chapter 6: Checkmate

So here is this month's chapter. I've been lacking inspiration lately, but today a couple ideas finally struck me. I am still taking ideas for any little drabbles you would enjoy seeing in this story. Anyway, I don't own the Avengers or for that matter Hetalia. Enjoy the chapter, and please take the time to review!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**  
 **Checkmate**

* * *

They had made it back to Avengers Tower, no one having spoken a word during the ride back to New York. Gwen was sleeping, leaning on Arthur who had bandaged her leg. Kiki and Madeline looked like they were about to sleep even as Alfred silently bandaged his sister. Ivan's eyes were closed as he leaned against the interior of the helicopter, he had refused treatment until returning to the base. Chiara was sitting up with the pilot, reporting quietly to Fury.

The Avengers were sitting opposite of UW. Tony and Bruce were watching Gwen carefully, both curious of what had overcome her. Steve and Natasha were dozing off slightly, a reminder of how late it truly was. Thor was looking slightly uneasy in the quiet compartment but kept the silence anyway, observing each of the UW members, especially Alfred who had lifted his hammer. Clint had gone with Chiara to report, as well as to copilot.

It wasn't until they landed on the helicopter pad at the Avengers Tower that someone spoke louder than a whisper. "Will Gwen-chan be okay, Arthur?" Kiki asked softly as they exited the helicopter. Arthur looked down at the girl in her arms. "She'll be fine, Z used up all their energy. Look, I know that you are all probably wondering what's going on, but it's late and I think Gwen should be awake when we explain this, so could you please wait until morning?" Arthur asked, turning the Avengers. Tony opened his mouth to speak, his iron man suit already gone, but was beat by Steve. "We can wait. Do you all have a place to stay?"

The UW members looked at each other. "You bastards can all stay at my place, Liv's already home alone so get changed quickly," Chiara finally said. "Is your house big enough for all of us, Chi?" Alfred asked. "It should be, I have three extra bedrooms, the couch and a futon. You guys need to go home and check on Kuma anyway, don't you?" Chiara asked. "Kuma? You still have your dog?" Kiki asked, tilting her head slightly. "We'll see you all here at nine tomorrow morning," Arthur told the Avengers, ushering his teammates into the elevator.

The ride was short Arthur, Gwen, Ivan and Chiara in the latter's car and the rest in a taxi that followed the Italian made car. They managed to make it to the elevator without suspicion of the fainted Gwen getting the police called on them. Of course, the building was luxurious, and Chiara had a whole floor to herself, her grandfather owning the building.

After settling Gwen into one of the beds, checking Liv's homework and getting everyone else settled, Chiara poured each person a glass of wine, although Liv got a mug of tea. "Chi and I encountered _Black Skull_ today," Alfred began the meeting as they all sat on the plush couches of the living room. Ivan growled, "His base must be in New York." "Did he let anything slip on his location? His identity?" Arthur asked.

Alfred looked down into the swirling vortex of red in his glass. "That's the problem. Before I say anything more, I would like to also speak of the fact that I think _Black Skull_ is being controlled by someone else," Chiara replied, "Much like Zamora, a 2p." "But Gwen-chan said that there were very few people in Z-chan's world that had powers," Kiki commented.

"Gwen told me, once that there was a 2p who was able to control groups of people, but it couldn't be. To have that strong of a hold it'd have to be their first player," Arthur muttered. "Who was it, Arthur?" Ivan asked quietly. Silence folded the room, each hero knowing the answer. Yet, no one wanted to voice the new discovery.

Liv took a quiet sip of her tea, as the youngest could sense the ongoing despair the elders in the room faced. "Chun-Yan wouldn't, she died that day," Ivan choked out, his voice cracking. Chiara shook her head, taking a long drink from her glass. "Her voice was changing, two different people speaking, and she called us by our nicknames. The armor was to hide physical changes like height," Alfred reasoned.

"It must have happened when we raided _Black Skull'_ s base, the 2p was using a different person to lure us there, to capture Chun-Yan. It would explain why Zamora went so overboard in trying to defeat _Black Skull_ , by that time, a mirage of Chun-Yan would have been put into place and Chun-Yan in the suit. Zamora could sense another 2p, she put Chun-Yan out of commission to give us time and all we did was give up. Damn it! I can't believe I didn't see this before," Arthur growled, standing up and walking to the floor to ceiling window.

"Chun-Yan couldn't," Ivan protested weakly, looking feint. "She wouldn't have a choice," Kiki responded, "Her 2p is in control, but Chun-Yan is trying to break free. Ivan we have to help onee-san!" "Our mission has changed, we must save Chun-Yan," Madeline added.

"Not only that," a new voice interjected. All the heroes' heads turned to the door way where Gwen was leaning against a wall. "You shouldn't be up, Gwen," Arthur stated, rushing over to her. "That's not our only mission, Arthur. Zamora told me, they are coming."

* * *

The Avengers, all agreeing to stay at Avengers Tower, were having a similar discussion, one which Nicholas Fury was present for.

"So Yang Chun-Yan is _Black Skull_. This makes things harder," Fury nodded after Bruce's and Tony's explanation of what happened in New York. "What do you mean sir?" Steve asked. Fury pinned Steve with a one eyed stare, "Chun-Yan was their comrade, Rogers. How would you feel fighting against one of your past comrades? Braginsky and Honda were particularly close to her. If the team doesn't fight at full capacity, there will be no way to beat her. If she can trick all of them onto her side even, we are done for," Fury said flatly.

"I don't think they would do that," Tony spoke up, surprising everyone in the room. "As much as I hate to admit it, Tony's right. They don't seem like the type of people to start wreaking havoc because one of their friends is the bad guy," Clint added. "Right you are, the United World Team would not come to my side now. However, your minds aren't as strong are they?" a new voice said thoughtfully. The Avengers jumped up, looking at the petite woman who sat right in between where Thor and Steve had been moment before.

 _Black Skull_ had ditched the armor, standing in front of them completely defenseless. "Wang, what are you doing here?" Fury growled, pointing his pistol at her. "How pleasant to meet you, Commander Fury. In fact, I've sent this familiar face in order to hire a spot of new help. It was simply lovely that she knew right where you'd be," Chun-Yan responded, "Ah, but of course, I must introduce myself, otherwise I could not bear to call myself a gentleman. Oliver Kirkland, and of course, you will now be at my service."

* * *

The sun rose up on the lovely Saturday morning and Liv couldn't wait for the day to begin. It would be her first official day as a public hero. No more secret agency stuff, but an actual hero. Gwen's news of course put a damper on her mood, but all the more reason to be excited to be a hero, saving the world. And with the Avengers! Matthias and Tino would be so jealous, they were the biggest fans of the Avengers in the Nordic Five.

Of course, Liv would never be so inclined to display her excitement as she calmly walked into the kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee and generously adding Kaffefløte into her cup. If was a piece of luck that Chiara allowed her to order the product, and well worth it, as the Italian found out, to have it in coffee. But something happened the moment Liv tipped the cream carton over to pour luxuriously creamer into the caramel toned black. Nothing came out.

"Oh! Good morning Liv!" Alfred called, entering the kitchen with a mug, one of which he took a sip of before setting it on the counter by the coffee pot. "Alfred," Liv replied smoothly, watching as the American looked at the cream carton in her hand, still held adjacent over her cup. "Aw, man we're already out of that creamer stuff," Alfred sighed. Liv practically reeled in shock and took the opportunity to look at the remains of coffee in Alfred's cup. The light brown remains teased her and in an instant Liv had slammed the carton on the counter, causing ripples in both cups.

"How many cups did you have, Alfred?" she asked tensely. "Hm, I don't know, maybe three or four, half cream, half coffee you know. Helps to get my morning hero on," the American laughed, still oblivious to the dark mood. Liv chuckled darkly, the American now turning to look down on her. "Are you okay, Liv?" Alfred asked, even the American was slightly scared. He hadn't been able to spend much time around the youth before the team disbanded, so he must have done something to piss her off, but what?

With little thought of the waste, Liv picked up her mug of steaming black coffee, reached up and poured it down on the American. Alfred yelped as the burning liquid made contact. "Liv!" he shouted, but the girl was already walking to the living room. "Chi, we're going out for coffee, now," she ordered, tossing the car keys to her guardian who was sitting in the living room and talking to the other UW members.

It took Chiara a half second to register the connection between her charge's request and Alfred's yell before nodding and walking out the door with her charge. "Where is Liv?" Alfred growled, entering the living room with coffee dripping onto the hardwood floor. A camera flashed in the living room and Alfred pinpointed Gwen who was laughing with her phone held up. "I'm sending this to Vest!" she giggled. "Alfred, you're making a mess," Arthur commented from the couch, sipping a cup of English Breakfast tea. "Chi-chan and Liv-chan just left to go get coffee," Kiki responded. "Alfred," Madeline sighed, shaking her head, embarrassed for her brother's shake.

Ivan remained quiet. Still shaken by last night, the Russian would have otherwise not missed a chance to make fun of Alfred. "Ivan, are you still in pain?" Gwen asked him, the others in the room still laughing and joking. "Not much, comrade, thank you for your concern," Ivan replied smoothly sipping a small cup of vodka. "Sorry about what I did yesterday," Gwen sighed. "It wasn't your fault, however, Zamora seems restless and uncontrolled, you haven't practiced in a while, have you?" Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow critically. "Not really an opportunity when your trying to live a normal life," Gwen responded, "but then again your powers are still in top shape."

* * *

Liv and Chiara drove to a nearby coffee shop, Liv's favorite, and sat in the corner booth, which they always sat it. Some of Chiara's paintings hung on the walls around the cafe. The best one being the owner holding a steaming cup of coffee with the name of the shop in the background. It was quite the peaceful place, with some of the best coffee in all of New York yet stowed away from busy city life. "We'll have to pick up some creamer on the way back home, lots of it so Alfred doesn't have to take a coffee shower every morning," Chiara muttered.

Liv shrugged, glad it was the weekend, and took a long sip from her cup. "We should get back, we still have to get ready to see the Avengers today," Liv responded mildly. "Are you sure you want to be involved with all this hero stuff, Liv? It could be quite dangerous," Chiara whispered, glancing around the cafe. "I already work for them, Chi. If I don't do it willingly it becomes part of my job. Besides I'm pretty strong," Liv responded, standing up.

Chiara rolled her eyes, following Liv out the door only to see her black Ferrari being smashed to bits by the hammer of one thunder god. Chiara blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes as though she couldn't believe what was happening. Thank the Roman gods the streets were empty. "What the fuck, _Thor_?" she screamed. She was running towards her car when Liv pulled her back, just in time to avoid _Captain America_ 's shield.

"Um, Chi, aren't the Avengers working with us?" Liv asked, hesitant. 


	7. Chapter 7: A Simple Attempt

So lucky for anyone reading this I realized that in order to reach my Christmas chapter (chapter 13) by Christmas I am going to need to put up chapters at nearly random intervals leading up till a faithful December 25. So after this chapter you can look forward to five more chapter before Christmas, hopefully I'll be done in time, most of these chapters are still being written after all. Anyway I am taking requests still for anything you would like to see, whether it be a special little interaction between character, flash backs to the old UW days or short appearances of different marvel characters. As always I don't own Hetalia or any Marvel superheroes whatsoever. Please enjoy this chapter and speedy update, and don't forget to review!

* * *

 **Chapter 7**  
 **A Simple Attempt**

* * *

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of _Black Widow, Hawkeye_ and _Hulk_. Flying above them was _Iron Man, Thor_ in front of them and _Captain America_ to the right. "I was still paying that off," Chiara whimpered sadly, staring at the remains of her car once _Thor_ jumped off of it. Their left was still open, they could make a run for it, but only if they hurried.

Liv kept attempting to pull Chiara towards their exit when she saw _Hawkeye_ beginning to make his way to block the left alley way. "Chiara, we need to get out of here quickly," Liv pressed. Something suddenly snapped in her mentor who grabbed Liv by the hand, pulling her as she ran at top speed to the left and through the alley. When Liv turned behind to look back, the Avengers were trying to all fit through the alley at once, slowing their progress.

"We have to get back to the house," Liv pointed out, "warn the others and we can't be seen fighting in civilian clothes." Liv was suddenly pulled down by Chiara, _Captain America's_ shield flying above them. "They're right behind us, those bastards," Chiara growled. Thunder boomed close by and lightning struck in the distance as gray clouds gathered overhead in an instant.

"You insulted one of them yesterday didn't you, Chi?" Liv accused as they stood back up and continued to run. "Not now Liv!" Chiara yelled back as thunder boomed once more. Chiara cursed when _Black Widow_ appeared at the end of the alley way they were doing down, along with _Hulk_. In an instant Liv pulled her guardian in a sharp turn into another alley. Once they had come safely around the corner and turned another they slipped in a growing puddle of mud, rain having begun to fall. "Do you have anyone's number?" Liv wailed, covered in mud and soaked through.

Chiara had taken out her phone, scrolling through her contacts list. "Those fucking bastards, damn it!" she cried, resisting the urge to toss her phone at a neighboring brick wall. "We'll have to fight," Liv sighed, standing up. Her right knee was slightly scraped and bleeding from falling onto the hard pavement. The Nordic girl closed her eyes, and a summer breeze rippled through the air. _You call for me, young one?_ a voice asked, resounding off of the many walls and unheard of by Chiara. "Return home for me troll, warn the people who are there that the Avengers are attacking us and lead them here. The man with the huge eyebrows should be able to see and hear you, please go quickly," Liv muttered in reply. _I will return, small friend._

"I asked Troll to get the others, we just have to hold out here for a little bit," Liv explained to Chiara, helping the Italian to stand. Chiara shook her head in wonder, "I'm still surprised that all those creatures that we thought Arthur made up actually existed." "Good thing I came along, soon enough Arthur would have thought he was actually nuts," Liv joked back.

"How long do you think it will take Troll to warn them, and then for them to get here?" Chiara asked. "I don't know, ten, twenty minutes. Maybe less for _Fire Storm_ , if he can find his way here without guidance and doesn't get distracted," Liv noted. "So twenty minutes," Chiara simplified. Liv nodded her head, glancing towards the end of the alley.

"I hope you aren't too much out of practice, _Rome_ ," Liv teased. "I don't think I'll even have to ask about you, _Mage_ ," Chiara replied, sticking her tongue out at her charge. "Oh~ it's on, I call _Iron Man, Black Widow_ and _Captain America,_ " Liv called. "Then I get _Hulk, Hawkeye_ and _Thor,_ easy enough."

Chiara and Liv looked at each other for a moment before laughing. "Don't die, you still have to finish high school," Chiara advised. "Worry about yourself first, you have no clue what the UW is doing to your house while your gone right now," Liv reminded. Chiara paled, the last thing Liv saw her mentor do before a building crumbled, separating the two of them.

* * *

Liv didn't end up facing off against _Iron Man, Black Widow,_ and _Captain America_. No, she was never that lucky. Walking towards her came _Black Widow, Captain_ _America_ and _Hulk_. She had been confident before, _Iron_ _Man_ and _Captain America_ didn't work particularly well together, she had seen as much after watching scenes of their fights. But _Black Widow_ and _Captain America_ were a flawless team, following up on each others attacks continuously. And _Hulk_ , he was unpredictable, but with _Widow_ there, he wouldn't be hurting his teammates.

But then Chiara was facing _Hawkeye, Thor_ and _Iron Man_. All long distance fighters, and Chiara probably didn't have any scope on their personalities. She would have to expand a lot of her energy if she were to have a chance at defeating them. "We'll need to finish this quickly, Sir Mastermind, I've got my guardian to save," Liv grinned, trying to startle her opponents at least a little.

"What a smart girl. You've already said something completely unpredictable to my comrades. It will be nice to have you as puppet on my strings, I would have had you the first time if it hadn't been for the infernal creature, your troll," a male voice with a British accent spoke came from _Black Widow_. "You are a second player are you not?" Liv asked. "Indeed. You really are a cleaver girl, I can see why Mangus was so eager to capture the first player of his friend," this time the voice came from _Hulk_.

"You also said comrades, so it's more than just you and whoever is controlling Chun-Yun. Ivan's second player as well, maybe everyone else's with the exception of Gwen's, am I correct?" Liv asked. The moment her question was over she dodged a punch from _Captain America_. He had crept up behind her, she assumed the puppet master had done that when she had focused her attention on his two mouth pieces.

"Very cleaver child. However you will learn more about your future bosses, once you are under my control. There is no need for me to tell you before that point, _Mage_ ," the British man spoke from _Captain America_ this time as Liv dodged a well aimed kick from _Black Widow_ , followed by _Hulk_ smashing the spot she'd been in but a moment before. "Well seeing as how that will never happen, I don't see the harm in telling me right now," Liv replied nonchalantly.

"My comrades do, but since your friend isn't here now, you will find out soon," this time the voice came from _Hulk_. It was enough to momentarily distracted Liv. A moment too long. She couldn't see anything but she felt a thin string wrap around her wrist. Like a string attached to a puppet. The controller of the string used it to raise her arm, and she felt another string tie around her elbow.

"Knock it off," she grunted as she attempted to use her free hand to grab onto the string that she could feel tighten around her wrist and elbow. It was then that her opponents gained the upper hand. _Captain America_ threw his shield at her, she jumped up, using the string to hold her weight but was unable to avoid a quick kick and strike from the Black Widow.

She was knocked down, or at least she would have been if the string wasn't holding her up. She felt another thread wind around her second hand and elbow. Lifting up both arms, making them completely useless. When the _Hulk_ began to make his way towards her the best she could do was kick. The green monster charged at her and at last second, Liv kneed him in the face. At the rate things were going, she was going to need to use magic.

"Are you surprised at how this fight will soon turn out, child?" Liv didn't need to look at the three Avengers to find out where the voice was coming from. She felt her own mouth moving to form those words. She wanted to tell him to stop, but her voice was gone, even as another thread wound it's way around her waist. "At first you'll have your voice, then you'll only have your thoughts, and within hours, even those will disappear," the second player said, an obvious smirk in his voice.

"Now I have your eyes, and the magic to bring us to your world, how wonderful that a hero of this world is the only one with enough magic to bring the world's downfall," a horrible, creepy laugh flowed out of her mouth. Liv squeezed her eyes shut, she didn't want to feel mouth moving anymore, she didn't want to see what the _Puppet Master_ would do next.

* * *

Chiara could only hope that Liv was faring better than she was as she dodged another blast courtesy of _Iron Man_. To use any of her powers she needed time. Or to know the person she was fighting well. Honestly she normally felt like a dead weight to her team, that is until she had picked up her beautiful twin pistols, it had come to her as a present from one of the members of the familgia. A mafia group that the Varges Industry was under suspicion for leading.

It had been Emma who had presented them to her. No matter how much the two fought, Emma was still loyal to the family and the moment Chiara had voiced her want for a weapon, the girl had jumped to the job. It only took a week to secure the beauties, another week of teaching Chiara the basics and then Emma had returned to Belgium to resume her post there as the leader of the branch.

Of course, her lovely guns were still at her penthouse, locked in the gun safe that was hidden in the back of her closet. Normal people didn't have to carry around guns to protect either, that was the job of the police. And all Chiara really wanted after Toni had gone missing, was to be a normal person so she wouldn't loose Liv, or Feli or Nonno.

She ducked down, narrowly avoiding the soaring hammer _Thor_ had thrown at her. But she wasn't quick enough to avoid that blast that knocked her off of her feet. A mix of _Iron Man's_ thrusters and _Hawkeye's_ explosive arrows was enough to throw her into a wall and knock the breath right out of her. "Damn bastards," Chiara spat out, drawing in a breath of oxygen. She looked up, _Iron Man_ and _Thor_ were looming over her. Ready to finish her off. "Come with us now, _Rome,_ and you will not be hurt further." It was _Hawkeye_ who said it, but his voice seemed more menacing, almost like a mix of _Black Widow's_ and his own. "Like hell, why don't you all go fuck off," she growled, "Hawk bastard."

 _Hawkeye's_ expression changed to one of surprise before morphing into a smirk. "How silly, I forgot to introduce myself," he said, kneeling down in front of Chiara, "My name is _Crow_ , of course, I was the only one of the Revengers who was able to take control before we found you. My comrades here are just the _Puppet Master's_ useless puppets for the moment."

"The _Puppet Master_? Is he the leader of your group?" a familiar British voice asked. Chiara, _Crow, Iron Man_ and _Thor_ all turned their heads to look at the new set of arrivals, the United World fully suited up and glaring at the three Avengers. "Ah, Arthur Kirkland, _Spectrum_ , _The Puppet Master_ didn't foresee you arriving so quickly, actually not even the _Foreseer_ predicted you to arrive at all, any of you. How did you know?" _Crow_ asked.

"Seems your side doesn't have a joker like yours, does it," Alfred grinned, waving his finger at _Crow_. " _Rome,_ where is the _Mage_?" Gwen asked, looking surprised at the absence of their youngest, as well as the other half of the Avengers. "We were separated, she's on the other side of that," Chiara replied, pointing to the wall of debris that had fallen earlier, "I don't know her status."

" _Fire Storm, Black Cat, Blizzard King,_ go help _Mage_. We will handle these three," _Spectrum_ ordered. "Hai, please be careful, they are our allies," _Black Cat_ replied. "Don't worry, BC, we'll only beat them up a little," _Whisper_ replied with a laugh, "When you get back you can cut the strings." "How did you know?" _Crow_ gasped, it was impossible for anyone to know about Oliver's ability, it was impossible to see the strings in the world _Crow_ was from.

As the three heroes disappeared in a flash, courtesy of Alfred's super speed, Gwen and Arthur smirked at _Crow_ , barely containing their laughs while Maddie merely let out a sigh. "You should really learn more about your enemies, Crow bastard," Chiara laughed, "After all three members of our team can see things that you could only find in your wildest dreams!"

"Chi, you should sit out this one. _Silver Bolt_ handle _Crow, Whisper_ I trust that you can contain _Thor_ , I will handle _Iron Man_ myself!" _Spectrum_ proclaimed.  
It all happened in only a few minutes.

A lightning bolt struck _Crow_ where he stood, the intense energy focusing solely on him. _Bolt_ appeared behind _Crow_ , kicking him, then teleported to where he was pushed back to and delivering another blow continuously until he was knocked out.

Upon the flash from the lightning, _Iron Man_ had charged at Arthur, only to ram into a barrier that the leader of UW had placed. As the billionaire fell to the ground, Arthur collected light particles, forming a cluster of light in his hands. Once the space around Arthur's hands seemed pitch black, he shot off the light, hitting _Iron Man_ at point blank. The armored hero was pushed backwards, his armor denting upon the resulting crash he faced into the hard pavement.

 _Whisper_ had the most difficult charge. After seeing the other two Avengers knocked out _Thor_ appeared like he was panicking, like whoever who was controlling him was panicking. Much like a child afraid to loose their toys. Each time she attacked, it was countered with _Thor's_ hammer. However, as static tingled in his hands, Mjohrin dropped suddenly. _Thor_ and _Whisper_ stared at the hammer for a moment before the latter promptly knocked _Thor_ out.

"Let's go help the others, then we'll get the Avengers back to their tower and figure out what we should do," _Spectrum_ ordered.

* * *

If there was one thing that Liv wanted to do right now, it was to go back to her home, fall into her bed, and talk to Troll until she fell asleep, at this point she would even take talking to Matthias over being controlled. Maybe she would have to take a day to spoil Emil after this, if only to recover.

When the others had arrived she had barely been able to keep _The Puppet Master_ (her master now, she thought bitterly) out of her head, away from her thoughts and memories. She knew he already had access to her powers, she was glad none of them outmatched the rest of UW's. But, not only that, she felt her body begin to rely on the strings for support, she supposed that was a part of _The Puppet Master's_ powers to create a body and mind that didn't have the will or power to fight back against his control.

She strained to keep her mouth close, to keep his words out, once the others appeared. "Liv?" _Fire Storm_ asked, watching her stilled figure, her back was to them but she looked much like a limp puppet. "Liv-chan, are you okay?" _Black Cat_ asked, Liv could tell that she was already keeping an eye on the Avengers, not expecting any resistance from Liv.

She tried to bite her bottom lip, anything to keep that voice out, but to no avail. She felt her back bend slightly, her head turning over her shoulder to look at the three heroes, a fairly un-Liv like position. "I'm sorry, but Liv isn't home right now," the British villain droned, cackling after he said that.

The three members of UW's faces contorted with horror, and Liv felt an overwhelming wave of someone else's glee wash over her. She was turned now to face her teammates, Oliver holding up a hand in front of her face. "Do you like my new toy?"

"Release Liv," _Blizzard King_ ordered glowering threateningly at Liv. The girl herself almost dropped to the floor, about to beg for Ivan's forgiveness, she knew first hand how scary he was from the rescue. The Russian was three heads taller than Liv, and she knew that he wasn't a good person to get on the wrong side of. But what surprised her most was the squeak that left her mouth. That sounded very Liv-like indeed.

She felt Oliver's surprise in her own mind, the surprise that such a little noise had escaped his notice and slipped out. "You're much more protective than my own Comrade, _Blizzard King_. But for now, why don't you play with my other toys first, before you take my queen," Oliver laughed again, passing off the voice as though he had meant for it to escape.

The three members of the Avengers, _Black Widow, Captain America_ and _Hulk_ charged past Liv to intercept the three members of UW. " _Black Cat_ , they are being controlled right? Liv as well. You think you'll be able to cut it?" Alfred asked, watching the Avengers charge. "Yes, I am unable to immediately do so with the others as they would offer resistance, but if I have the element of surprise I may be able to cut the strings before my presence is realized," Kiki replied, holding her sword.

"We shall handle these three. Please go to Liv once you have found an opening," Ivan ordered. He stepped forward, just in time to intercept _Black Widow_ and _Captain America_. "No fair," Alfred whined, "I wanted to fight the captain." He held up one hand in time to catch the _Hulk's_ fist. "Switch with me, damn commie!" "Fight later," Kiki interjected, breaking off Ivan from retorting to Alfred's taunt.

In one smooth move, she jumped over the Avengers (not without hearing _Captain America's_ nose being broken and Hulk being smashed to the ground) she gently tapped Liv on the shoulder. She saw the teens eyes cloud in an instant in confusion. Her head turning this way and that as she looked for anything. Sometimes Kiki's powers scared herself. She knew what Liv, and by extension T _he Puppet Master,_ were seeing. Pitch black, total darkness. It was how Kiki had gained her name, a black cat attacking from the darkness, bad luck for those who crossed her.

Her sword lashed out, right above Liv, cutting the strings that were invisible to most. As the girl went limp Kiki caught her, dismissing the darkness from Liv's vision. " _Mage_ , how do you feel?" Kiki asked, gently lowering the girl to the ground so she could rest. "I-I'm okay, I think I just need to sit for a little bit. You should go help the others, _Black Cat_. Before _Fire Storm_ and _Blizzard King_ hurt the Avengers too badly," Liv replied, her voice shifting from sounded much like a frightened child's to her normal dull monotone.

"Yell out if you need help," Kiki ordered. She intercepted _Black Widow_ first who was peeling herself from the ground to attack Ivan once more. She had gravel stuck in the palm of her hands, a ring of bruises forming around her right eye, her elbow appeared to be dislocated and she was bleeding in multiple spots. She knocked the hurt agent out using the hilt of her sword and cut the strings controlling the agent.

Next she moved onto the _Hulk_. The big green rage monster was getting tired, charging Alfred and being thrown away each time. Once Alfred slammed the doctor into the ground again, Kiki cut the thin threads. The _Hulk_ shrunk, once again becoming the doctor.

Before Kiki could turn to face where she had last seen the _Captain_ , a force (akin to what it would feel like if a semi-truck ran into her, as she thought of it) hit her. She was knocked down, her sword flying across the ground, out of her reach. "Kiki!" Alfred yelled. But the _Captain_ was already on top of her, and hand to hand combat wasn't her specialty. "At the very least, I'll stop you from taking anymore of my toys away from me," _Captain America_ hissed in a British accent.  
She felt two giant hands wrap around her neck, effectively cutting off her oxygen supply. Her brain was informing her that she needed oxygen if she wanted to survive, and she began to claw at the _Captain's_ hands, feeling the skin break under her nails and blood soak her fingers. In only a few moments, that seemed like forever, _Captain America's_ weight was gone and she was freed. She turned her head, sucking in oxygen as Liv furiously kicked the _Captain_.

"Keeks, are you okay?" Alfred asked, bending down over her. "Fine, _Firestorm_ ," Kiki croaked, rolling over to her stomach and shifting to sit up. Her neck hurt badly, and she knew it would bruise soon, but right now she didn't have time to think about it. " _Mage_ , stop it before he gets hurt any more," Alfred ordered. Kiki blankly looked over, watching the lithe teenager kick _Captain America_ once more. She grabbed the fallen sword of the older hero and Kiki watched as she sliced the puppet strings once used to control the mighty American.

"We should get them back to Avengers Tower, before anyone thinks we're new enemies."


	8. Chapter 8: A Shocking Strategy

Welcome to chapter 8 of UW. I hope everyone is enjoying the read so far. Anyway a chapter with a lot of stuff in it, but not a lot of action. From here one I'll be taking a more personal spin on each of the UW characters as well, and introducing a new character to the hero mix on chapter 11. If you can think of anything you would like to see, whether it's time between characters or a visit from either Marvel or Hetalia characters please IM me or review your idea. Actually just review in general. Thank you for reading and I do not own the Avengers or Hetalia, for if I owned both, there would totally be a crossover movie.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**  
 **A Shocking Strategy**

* * *

The group had an awkward time getting back to the flat without being seeing carrying the knocked out Avengers. They were able to fit them in Chiara's car, sitting up in their seat. Then the team went upstairs and changed out of their uniforms. They later reconvened at the back alley to the Tower.

"I'll carry _Thor_ , Alfred get _Iron Man_ , Gwen please carry Natasha, Ivan you have _Hawkeye,_ Madeline can get the _Captain_ if you'd help her Liv, and Kiki and Chiara please get Doctor Banner," Arthur ordered as they tugged the Avengers out of the car. They were hoping Stark's AI would help them find a medical bay and avoid people, if only to save his creator's pride.

They were right, after introducing themselves the AI let them in, it was only when they got to Stark's private quarters that they ran into trouble.

For lying in wait, was a snake ready to strike.

They heard her voice first, a shrill worried yell of "Tony!" the moment Alfred had carried the suited man into the room. And with that little warning, Alfred was tackled to the ground by Pepper. The America instantly dropped _Iron man_ , the metal suit creating a loud clanging noise the moment that it hit the ground, as Alfred was punched by Pepper. The rest of United World stared for a moment before Gwen and Arthur dropped their charges, attempting to pull Pepper off of Alfred.

"Ms Potts, we are on your side!" Arthur attempted, holding her right arm back to prevent her from hitting Alfred again. "I've heard that before!" Pepper replied, turning around and kicking Arthur. He let go of her from instinct but immediately regretted it as she began to wail on Alfred again who was blocking her punches now. "Pepper?" The group, including the fiery red head turned around at the sound of _Iron Man's_ pained voice.

"Tony! Your alive!" Pepper replied, still glaring at the UW members. "Ugh, it feels like I got hit by the _Hulk_ ," he groaned, sitting up from the spot Alfred had dropped him. He looked around, taking in the scene of the UW members carrying some of the Avengers and Pepper on top of Alfred. "What did I miss?" he asked, "And why is there a dent in my suit?"

"We'll explain in a moment, the rest of your team should get to the infirmary, I'm pretty sure _Captain America's_ nose is broken, we should set it before we have to re-break it to do so," Gwen pointed out, "Can you lead us there? Oh and if you could get off Alfred, that'd be greatly appreciated Kiki looks like she's going to fall down if she has to hold the Doctor any longer."

"Oh, right I'm sorry," Pepper replied, blushing in embarrassment as she helped Alfred up. "Well, then, lead us on to the infirmary please."

* * *

"Ne, Francis do you think Roma still loves me?" Antonio asked. The bad touch duo, for they had no third members, a concept which ate away at the back of their minds, sat in their private rooms at the _Black Skull_ headquarters. The door was locked, they knew that all too well, having tried to escape from there many times. The steel walls surrounded them, the slightest of noises bouncing off of them. On either side of the room was two uncomfortable, metal framed cots.

"Why so sudden, Toni?" Francis replied, sitting on his bed, his arm in a cast and well bandaged. "Well, I wanted to know if you and Maddie are still connected despite everything that has happened," Toni replied. He was gracious for his fellow mind controlled friend's power, the ability to see the string of fate that connected lovers, one of the only things that kept him going most days.

"Your string of fate has not been cut yet, my friend. Like mine with Maddie, the bond between lovers is greater than even death, your tie with Roma is strong enough to outlast even good and bad," Francis replied, "Do not fear, Toni, you will not loose Roma to anything." "Thank you, Francis. Hopefully I won't have to keep her waiting for much longer, what do you say we try to bust out of this joint again today?" Toni asked.

They both stood up from their beds when the door to their small cell opened. They both watched, horror arising from the thought of going on another mission when a familiar face stepped through the doorway, the heavy metal door closing behind one Chun-Yan.

"Tonio, Francis, I don't have much time before he comes back. But you both need to escape now, while you have the chance. You must warn the team of his, their, plan," Chun-Yan spoke first, snapping the two out of their shock. "Chun-Yan, what are you talking about? How are you still alive?" Francis replied, eyes widened. "Please, just escape to the others, only Liv will be able to help the others get rid of _Black Skull_ from you two. Take this note to them, give it to Arthur he should know what to do, please, go now, before _Black Skull_ comes back," Chun-Yan pleaded, pressing a folded piece of paper into Francis's hand.

Chun-Yan opened up the door once more, having never re-locked it after entering, "Hurry, I don't know if you'll ever have another chance, there aren't many times _Black Skull_ gets in a fight with the others and leaves me." "Come with us," Toni instantly replied. "I can't, Toni, Francis, you need to help the team. They won't win this without you. Tell Ivan... tell him I love him. Please?" Chun-Yan begged.

"Very well, but we will come back for you, my friend," Francis replied, tucking the paper into his pocket. "Is there anything else, Chun-Yan?" Toni asked. "Shut this door and make sure it's locked once you leave," she replied in an instant. The two friends gave her a strange look, but nodded anyway. With that they exited the room and closed the foreboding metal door behind them.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, there is an alternate universe, where all of you exist but as crime lords. But Gwen's second player died and she was the only hero, and so became a separate personality of Gwen, who we saw yesterday. And Chun-Yan has been taken over by her second player, while we and Liv got taken over by Arthur's second player?" Tony asked, squinting in confusion as Maddie and a robot checked over the rest of the unconscious Avengers.

"I think you've gotten it all down," Arthur replied, sitting by Tony's bedside with Gwen. The rest of the United World was raiding the Avengers Tower kitchen. Well, Kiki was also in the infirmary, sleeping off exhaustion on one of the beds. "Does Fury know?" Pepper asked. "Yeah, of course he didn't know about the 2p thing until after I joined UW, he just thought Z was someth..." Gwen suddenly trailed off, abruptly standing up, her chair clattering down behind her.

"Gwen?" Arthur asked, looking up at her, confused. "Where is Fury?" Gwen asked hurriedly. Color drained from Tony's face at the question. "He was with us when Chun Yan appeared," Tony informed them, dreading the whereabouts of their team manger. "Which means he's under the control of the 2ps, he has all the information on all of us. We need to move out of here now! This location is compromised. We'll need to be ready the moment the other Avengers wake up," Arthur released a curse at the end of his small speech.

In the doorway someone cleared their throat, causing all the conscious occupants of the room to jump in surprise. "Speaking of being compromised, we have some guests," Ivan growled, a dark seeming aura clogging the room as he stepped aside to show Antonio and Francis. "Hola," Antonio stated, with a wave of his hand.

"What are they doing here?" Tony asked, interrupting the moment of stunned silence that haunted the room. "Chun-Yan freed us, she said that we needed to give this to you," Francis replied, holding out a note towards Maddie who was staring at him in shock as she paused in treatment for the Avengers. Arthur stepped forward, glancing at Francis with a look between cautious and hopefulness. All the same he quickly snatched the note out of his long time friend/rival's hand.

"You have some where to put us up, right?" Tonio asked. "What?" Gwen asked, speaking up for the first time, but avoiding eye contact with the other members of the bad touch trio. "We are still under Black Skull's control, while it feels as though he is not able to reach us at the moment, therefore for your safety it would be best to put us each in a different containment cell," Francis explained, sounding impatient, but eyeing Gwen suspiciously.

"We have some isolation cells in the basement," Pepper announced, "I can take them down." "It's too dangerous for you alone, Maddie, Ivan, please accompany her down there and see that Antonio and Francis have everything they need," Arthur ordered. "Thank you, Angelterre. Also, I don't know if Chun-Yan included it in the note, but she mentioned something about Liv being able to help us," Francis replied.

Maddie stiffly took off the lab coat she had been wearing and peeled off the nylon gloves she had worn while treating the Avengers, throwing them into a waste bucket nearby. Ivan eyed Francis and Antonio angrily, before nodding. "Let us go, Comrade Pepper you shall lead the way da?"

And so the awkward campaign led left to the isolation rooms. Pepper leading, followed by Francis, then Ivan, Antonio and finally Maddie. Arthur sat back down in the chair at Iron Man's bedside and released a deep sigh. "Well this just goes onto the never ending list of what needs to be done," Arthur groaned. "Let's start this one step at a time, Arty. Once the rest of the Avengers wake up, we can go to Chi's house, it's relatively big enough for a headquarters, now that the enemy has gotten in here. You have some type of surveillance we could use to keep an eye on Francis and Tonio, right Stark? And some sort of defense system?" Gwen asked the billionaire.

"Jarvis can handle that, and alert us if anyone tries to get inside. When do you think we'll be able to use the Tower again?" Tony questioned. "Once we get Chun-Yan back, at the very least, then the 2ps won't have an anchor in this world, it'll take them sometime to regroup," Arthur responded. "And once they pull back, we'll start making our moves. Z claims that in order to end this once and for all, we are going to have to go to their world, before they all get here. To have a fight with them on this world would be catastrophic," Gwen informed them, throwing her 2p's two cents in.

"I can get started on a machine to get us to a different universe. But also does Chiara's house have enough room for all of us to stay?" Tony asked. Arthur opened his mouth to respond but quickly closed it once more, not knowing the answer. "Well I am still living in a hotel, do you have a place some of us could use, Arthur?" Gwen asked. "You know, I've been sleeping under this rather nice bridge lately, however i do not think anyone else will find it to be a pleasing accommodation," Arthur replied.

"You've been living under a bridge?! What the hell Arthur?!" Gwen yelled after a moment's pause in which it took to comprehend Arthur's words. "It's probably the best one yet though, well better than that subway station at least," he reasoned rather plainly, as Tony cracked up laughing.

"I'll see if there is an apartment at the same building to rent. Then we'll make arrangements. For now, good job Arthur, it seems like you've gotten Gwen to wake up the rest of the Avengers. I guess it's about time we packed our bags and split."


	9. Chapter 9: A Dinner to Remember?

Hello and welcome to chapter 9! Still trying to get to chapter 12 before Christmas. Luckily I've been planning this chapter for a long time, and had it most of the way written. Please take the time to review and enjoy the chapter. I also still don't own the Avengers Universe or Hetalia, but all the same I hope you enjoy my work! One last thing, there is a LOT of CUSSING in this chapter, just a warning in case you have no love for foul language.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**  
 **A Dinner to Remember?**

* * *

Chiara groaned into one of the couches of her fancy, very large penthouse where the united world and the Avengers were calling headquarters ever since the Avengers tower got infiltrated. Tony had rented the room a floor below her own condo, and all the Avengers had been sleeping there. This had produced two days of peace, enough time for the rest and recovery of both teams. Blessedly, Liv was still off school for a few days thanks to Teachers Workshops. Last night her sorella had called, she groaned again. Feli had been filming another movie as the female lead, and Chiara was happy to be able to see her again, if only she wasn't bringing that potato bastard of a bodyguard.

Chiara groaned again into the couch, as Tony and Bruce walked into the living room discussing something in tech talk. "What's wrong with you, Vargas?" Tony asked, walking to the kitchen as Bruce sat down in a chair. "My sorella is coming to visit," Chiara muttered. "Hey you actually didn't curse this time around, are you sure you're Chi?" Tony asked, standing up to get morning coffee. "Tony!" Bruce said warningly, "who is Sorella anyway, Chiara?" "My sister, Feliciana, she called me today to tell me she is on a plane coming here now," Chiara sighed.

A millisecond later there was a loud thud from the kitchen. "You don't mean Feliciana Vargas as in the actress do you, the super-hot one?" Tony sputtered. "It's kind of weird to call Feli hot, and to her sister at that man," Alfred yawned from the kitchen, "But you're usually happy to see Feli aren't you, Roma?" "If she wasn't bringing that fuckin potato bastardo it'd be fine," Chiara growled, angered by just thinking about the potato lover.

"Oh! West is coming?!" Gwen yelled, practically bouncing into the living room, "I'll have to find a good prank to pull on Luddy!" The avengers of the group watched as Gwen sat down in a chair, humming with a wide smile present. "Who is this 'potato bastard' anyway?" Tony asked, watching the different members' reactions. "My bruder! His name is Ludwig, he's also really strict and never lets me have fun. He and Feli are dating!" "It will be good to see Ludwig-san and Feliciana-chan again," Kiki commented coming into the living room.

"Oh I forgot, Kiki, Feli always had you hang out with them, hmm what did you call your group again?" Gwen asked, tapping her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "The axis-!""The axis! No need to fear Kiki I'll save you from the evil axis!" Alfred shouted from the kitchen appearing with a cup of coffee in one hand and a doughnut in the other. "Alfred, just because Ludwig is from Germany, Feli from Italy and Kiki is from Japan doesn't mean they are the axis, even if that's what they called their study group," Liv smacked Alfred's head as she walked into the living room holding a cup of coffee.

"Well the least we can do is all get out of this house and give you and your sister alone time-!" Just before Arthur could finish his sentence the door burst open revealing and absolutely beaming Italian girl. "Sorella! I made you and all of your friends a white flag!" the girl, Felicia Vargas exclaimed running over and catching her surprised sister in a hug. "Feli! You can't just come into my house like-!" Before Chiara could finish a white flag was shoved into her hands and Feli was hugging Kiki, giving her a white flag. Then Arthur, Alfred, Madeline, Gwen, Liv and Ivan.

As Stark's turn came, he held out his arms, closed his eyes and took a step forward ready to embrace the Italian beauty. However, it felt as though he was hugging a rock and there were soft giggles heard off to the side. Tony slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the serious blonde's face who he was hugging. "Aww Luddy, why'd you do that, I was going to give him a hug?!" Feli asked, as Tony quickly released the German man.

"Feliciana, you should know better than to hug strangers, even if they are at your sister's home. I can't protect you if you insist in partaking in any dangerous activity. Honestly, Feli you could try to be slightly more responsible, or at least taking training seriously enough to learn some self-defense," the German man, who could only be none other than Ludwig, sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Ludwig!" Gwen cried out, tackling her brother to the ground, "What did I tell you about being so bossy?" "Yeah potato bastardo who gave you the right to boss around my sorella!" Chiara snapped, stalking towards Ludwig. "Not to mention, I never gave you permission to come into my house!"

"Sorella, be nice to Luddy! He wanted to come and see Toni and Francis too," Feli protested. "I didn't think that would be the reason for you to visit so suddenly Feli. Wh-Who else knows?" Chiara asked, the mood in the room turning quite somber. "Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Rocherio, Mr. Carlos, Mr. Abel, and Miss Emma and Nonno," Feliciano listed off, slightly less chipper. "Everyone, everyone's coming," Chiara whispered faintly, her legs giving out and the strong German catching her.

"Chi!" Liv jumped up as Ludwig set her down so she was sitting on one of the living room chairs. The Nordic charge crouched down in front of her guardian, grasping onto the elder's clenched fists. "Let's give them some space," Alfred muttered to the other Avengers and heroes who nodded and followed him out of the pent house. Liv and Ludwig arrived a moment later, each looking down and the sound of soft sobs coming from inside the apartment.

"Is everything okay?" Steve asked, quietly to the German. Ludwig paused for a moment, shaking his head but not saying a word. "Let's go to that café across the street, they will need some time," Madeline suggested. Liv nodded dutifully, leading the way out of the apartment building.

* * *

"Sorella, what happened?" Felicaino asked softly, sitting beside her sister and rubbing her back as the feisty Italian cried. It had been a long time since she had comforted her sister, usually it was the other way around. "I visited him, last night, Feli," Chiara sniffled, wiping the tears away with her balled up fists. She hadn't told anyone of her visit but she had to, he had been in so much pain, it was unbearable to have to leave him there.

 _When she had walked to the other side of the glass his gaze had pinpointed her immediately, even though the glass was one way. He had stopped pacing and smiled at her, just like he had before as though it was any other day that they were going to go to school in the morning. "Roma, will you let me out of here?" he asked, walking towards the glass. As Chiara watched him approach she looked into his eyes, where his smile didn't reach, the happy glint in them gone._

 _As Antonio had reached the glass he stopped and waited for a couple minutes, as though expecting Chiara to open the door so he could leave. Suddenly he pounded on the glass, Chiara backpedaling on the other side to a safe distance. "Damn you, Roma. It's all your fault that I got captured by Black Skull and now Shield. You're so worthless, just like when we were kids. If Feli had become a superhero instead of you, this never would have happened. Ludwig is so lucky to be watching over the useful one," he had growled._

As Chiara repeated the story to Feli her brighter sister grew sadder. "Ve~ Chi, you aren't useless, you have superpowers and you're great at art and you raised Liv, and you're good at a lot of things I can't do!" Feliciano responded. Halfway through her sentence she had begun to wave her arms, talking with her hands as the Italians had a habit to do.

Watching her sister, Chiara began to smile, pulling the movie star into a big hug. Feliciana took a second before hugging back, an unusual event for Chiara to allow anyone to hug her or for that matter hug anyone else. "Sorella, I'm glad we're sisters," Chiara whispered, "I love you so much." Feliciano popped away from the hug at that comment. "What did you just say, Sorella?" she asked with a wide grin. "N-Nothing, idiot!" Chiara practically yelled back. "Ve~ that's fine, because I love you too Sorella!"

With that they went out into the hallway to find the rest of the team had vanished and Feliciana soon convinced her sister to just send them a text so they would have time alone to catch up. The Avengers and United World plus one didn't return to the flat until four. They found the Italian sisters chatting merrily over glasses of wine and plates of pasta, drowned in tomato sauce.

"Welcome back," Feliciana chirped seeing them enter, in a split second she was embracing Ludwig, then pulled Kiki into their hug despite the instant protest. "We are having dinner with Nonno tonight at the Vargas Tower, he only wants family there, but I am sure you want to catch up with Gwen tonight Luddy," Feli informed her body guard.

"Do you want me to come tonight, Chi?" Liv asked her guardian. "No, you should stay here with the others in case something happens, and you can keep looking for a hole in Black Skull's control," Chiara replied, ruffling her charge's hair. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle Romulus by yourself, Chi?" Alfred asked. The Italian, who was mid sip of wine, shrugged her shoulders. "I won't be alone, Al, Feli and the rest of the family will be there," Chiara replied with a giggle.

"How much wine did you two drink?" Gwen asked, as Alfred remained in shock from Chiara not calling him hamburger bastard. "Only a few bottles, sorella insisted that she had a couple of good ones stored for such an occasion," Feli replied, practically bouncing where she stood. "Chiara is a lightweight though," Tony commented, frowning. Tony nearly jumped out of his socks when Chiara clung to his arm, pressing it to his chest.

"You're so.. funny Tony. I'm not a lightweight. I bet Nonno would like you, maybe I should take you as my date tonight," Chiara purred. "On second thought, you two should have had more," Tony told Feli, grinning. The UW and Avengers members held back a groan while Ludwig pulled Chiara away from Iron Man. "Feliciana please take your sister to get her ready for tonight, I will escort you two to the restaurant so no one else tries anything with either of you," Ludwig ordered, shooting a glare at Stark.

"Whatever you say, Luddy. Come on Chi, I brought a new dress for you!" Feli cheered, leading her sister towards her bedroom. "I hope it's pretty, Feli~!" the hero replied just as the door closed. "Won't Chiara's grandfather notice that she's had something to drink?" Bruce asked. "It's how Chi always faces him, Antonio told us that it makes her act more like Feli and Romulus actually likes her more that way," Arthur stated, frowning as he took a seat on one of the couches.

"He doesn't seem that nice of a guy..." Clint commented. Gwen shook her head, sitting down beside Arthur. "Romulus-san is not a nice person when it comes to Chi-chan, or for that matter anything having to do with United World," Kiki sighed, "He always favored Feliciana-chan more, which is why he wants Chi-chan to inherit his business." "But if Feliciana is his favorite then wouldn't he want her to inherit?" Clint asked, confused.

"Feli was allowed to have much more freedom than Chiara, by taking on the family business Chiara can properly use her powers, and the family can always watch her," Ludwig replied, "with how she acts she is the best candidate to inherit the mafia compared to Feli who Romulus doesn't want to see hurt." "Did you just say Mafia?" Bruce asked, obviously surprised. "What is this mafia thing?" Thor asked.

"It's a criminal organization that deals with illegal substances, smuggling, abductions, killing among other things. The Vargas familiga happens to be the most dangerous in all of North America," Natasha informed the god. "They have not been contained? If they are causing so much damage why has no one taken action against them?" Thor asked. "Romulus has a deal with various governments all around the world. He used to work as a hero, and after saving the world so many times, there probably isn't a soul in this world that doesn't owe him a favor or more," Ludwig informed the Asgardian.

"Luddy, we're leaving!" Feliciana announced as she led her sister, now in a beautiful red dress, towards the front door, grabbing her purse and a red purse for her sister on the way. "Alright Feli. It was a pleasure meeting you, Avengers. Please remember to call me from time to time Gwen, and let Grandfather know before you move so abruptly next time," Ludwig advised before following the Italian twins out.

The Avengers and United World all sat around on the couches for a couple moments, each confiding in their own thoughts. "So... does anyone have any plans tonight?" Alfred asked, "because if not, I think we should have dinner at the Vargas Tower." "Alfred, I doubt they'd let us in, it's very exclusive and you have to make a reservation months in advance. Even if we wanted to help Chiara we wouldn't be able to get in," Liv pointed out.

"That is not so true, comrades. The Honda family is on good standings with the Vargas, correct, Kiki? Even if they are not, I have the money to reserve a large table for us last moment," Ivan offered. "That cost a lot of money, Ivan. Are you okay spending that much?" Maddie asked timidly. "Da, anything to help our comrade. Let us get dressed and I will call the Tower to reserve us a table."

* * *

And so an hour later the Avengers and UW (minus Chiara) found themselves in suits and dresses, as they exited a limo in front of the beautiful Vargas Tower. Imagine the nicest hotel in the world, now double that and you'll find the beauty of the only hotel owned by the Vargas family in New York. Complete with five star dining, indoor swimming, live performances, room service, bars, floor to ceiling windows, ballrooms, a spa, and a team of massage therapists you could call to your room on a moments notice. It was a palace only the lucky and rich ever got to enter.

The last minute reservation hadn't actually cost any additional fee. Apparently there was a program at the restaurant that allowed any well known heroes to eat there without a reservation fee at all, one that cost a small fortune. The group of heroes were led to the glass elevator and taken up to the top floor restaurant. They were led to a private room, blocked to the rest of the restaurant by a red silk curtain with golden designs on it, they left it slightly parted and watched until Chiara and Feli had entered the building, obviously they had gone somewhere else before showing up, and sat down at a table in the center of the room with six others.

"Feliciana, Chiara, what a pleasure to see my two lovely granddaughters again," the oldest at the table rejoiced. He stood up, an old man with a sturdy frame who looked like he could put a sizable dent in the Iron Man armor with a simple punch, and hugged the two girls in turn. "Come sit, I have already ordered, we'll be having Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Au Paradis 2012, a very fine wine, it took me a while to find it of course. And we'll be having Lemon-Basil Ozortte for our main course," the man explained.

"That sounds enjoyable Nonno," Chiara stated, smiling broadly at the older man, now identified to be Romulus. "Of course, I picked it after all, only the best is served at my restaurant anyway. Now come sit, next to Emma, dear. I'd love to hear your latest ventures and of the paintings you've sold," Romulus said, leading Feli to the chair beside him as Chiara sat.

"Feli tells me you were able to find Antonio, piccolo capo," the young woman sitting next to Chiara, Emma, stated plainly, taking a small sip from her glass of wine. "You'd think Emma would be more sensitive when it comes to Tonio by now," Alfred growled. "She's probably still bitter about him dating Chi-chan over her, Alfred," Kiki pointed out. Maddie quickly hushed them, hoping things didn't escalate.

"Yes, he's in isolation until we are able to find a way to free him from _Black Skull's_ control. We are close to finding a solution, for him and Francis both," Chiara explained, suddenly seeming fairly sober. The latter part was a lie, while they knew it had something to do with Liv, they had no idea how to get Francis and Tonio out of _Black Skull's_ control. They weren't being controlled by Arthur's 2p, the _Puppet Master_ , nor was the control consistent, sometimes going off and on.  
"I don't see why you don't just use you power, Chiara. You could be able to override _Black Skull's_ control," the Cuban at the table, Carlos, pointed out. "Indeed, Chiara, you're powers should not be held back, surely you are not in need of having such a useless team by your side anyway. Why, in my day I had no use for such a thing. You're weaker than I had imagined if you must fight with such heroes," Romulus sighed, swishing the wine around in his glass.

His comment unleashed the flood however, a reaction he had not expected before he took action. Alfred was over there in a flash, lifting his fist up to punch Romulus, only held back by an Austrian, Rocherio. The Avengers and United World weren't far behind. Maddie sighing reluctantly but following all the same. Liv and Bruce Banner stayed at their table, knowing it to be unnecessary to get involved, Chi would be able to handle them herself, or that the team wouldn't need their assistance.

"What are you doing here?" Elizabeta snarled, standing up, and pushing the American away from her boss. She glared at Gwen, who side stepped so she was behind Arthur. The Cuban growled as he too stood up in front of his boss, staring longingly at Maddie before turning a fierce glare towards Alfred. Emma shot up, her hand on her waist where she hid her usual pistol. With a flick of Romulus's hand, the servers began to lead out panicked guests until the restaurant was empty.

At the table, only Feli, Chiara, Romulus and a reserved looking giant still sat. The last of the bunch taking a calm drink of wine and ignoring the fiasco. "What are you doing here?" Romulus asked, looking towards the Avengers and UW. "I believed I only invited my granddaughter to this dinner, not a bunch of worthless sideshows," he stated, sounding very unimpressed.

"Your missing a very important point, Mr. Vargas," Natasha said warningly. "And just what could that be?" Emma snapped. "You have nothing to say to the boss, perra," Carlos joined in. "Now, now, children let us hear what they feel they must say," Romulus calmed the two, looking to be enjoying every moment. "Chiara is a valued member of our team, once we had word of your treatment towards her, we did nothing but rush to her aid as we would for anyone else," Steve stated.

"Ah, yes Roma does seem like a frightful civilian, doesn't she?" Romulus asked, the younger Italian hero flinching, "however she must suffer in order to use your full powers, no matter how horrendous she may find them. Being in a team with all of you has only weakened her." "That isn't true, Nonno-!" "Silence, Feliciana, I will not be disrespected by my own granddaughter in addition to these uncivilized beasts!"

"Don't talk to Feli-chan like that," Kiki protested, "Your the one who doesn't know anything!" "How dare you speak to the boss like that," Elizabeta snapped, a memory of how friendly she and Kiki used to be flashing through her thoughts. Soon enough an all out battle of words broke out between the two sides, mafia and heroes. Each slandering each other, no longer attempting to get the other to see the point. Even Feliciana joined the fray, on her sister's side of course.  
"Are you going to let them continue fighting, Miss. Vargas?" Abel, the man whom had been sitting quietly at the table before, questioned. "None of them would listen to me even if I tried, Abel, you know that," Chiara replied. "Then perhaps you should aim to make yourself heard. You cannot live under the boss's control forever, Chiara. You have wings, make use of them," Abel pointed out.

As if something clicked in Chiara's heart and head she stood up, and still the arguing sides paid her no mind until she poured the glass of three hundred dollar wine onto her grandfather, in which the fighting stopped and was quickly replaced with stunned silence. "Listen up you fucking bastards," she began pointing her finger sharply to the UW and Avengers group as her grandfather sat gobsmacked trying to get over his shock.

"I'm not some fucking princess that can't handle herself. So before I loose my temper at you bastards, get the hell out of here, and take Liv and Banner with you," she ordered. The UW group turned around without a word of protest, and the Avengers followed suit, the latter group having no clue of her explosive temper when it came to dealing with her grandfather.

"And all of you had better pull your heads out of your asses, and take a fucking seat. None of you have any control of my life or my future. The next fucking time that you insult my friends you'll be eating your own eyes and be blind sons of bitches. You can insult me, and use me all you want, but try to do the same with my friends and you'll start having a never ending flow of police at your door step. Now, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your dinner, because I am going home with my true family, Feliciana, stay and finish up dinner with these idiotas and visit me during another break," Chiara ordered, grabbing her purse.

"Chiara wait, I never said you cou-!" "Never said I could what, leave, well guess what Nonno, I am," Chiara snapped back, interrupting her grandfather for the first time in her life. She stormed out of the restaurant and found her teammates waiting in front of the hotel for her. "You fucking bastards ready to go back?" Chiara asked.

* * *

An hour or so later, Romulus has drawn his dinner to a close and sat at a table with Abel. "You did a good job today Abel," Romulus stated to his currently oldest executive. The two were in the small cafe of Vargas Tower, sipping black tea as they spoke. "Miss Vargas must realize she is not able to escape her faith, Boss. I was only doing as anyone else would," Abel responded politely. "Indeed. But thanks to you, Chiara has been put forth another important step in her legacy. Perhaps we should give those mongrels more credit, if nothing else, Chiara has learned to put family above all else."

"Should I continue to keep an eye on her, boss?" Abel asked. "Of course, we cannot allow them to get a hold of my dear Roma. See that she is safe, but do not involve yourself with the heroes, Abel," Romulus ordered, "But most importantly, do not let Antonio know of our plans."


	10. Chapter 10: True Love's Kill

So i am sorry for how long this chapter took. I really wanted to have this one and two others done by Christmas but I guess I didn't realize just how hard it turned out to be to write Madeline's POV. During the time that I was writing this chapter I also read _The Invisible Man_ and I was surprised by just how selfish the invisible man really was. I tried to do the same here with Madeline, because it's got to be very impactful in your life when you are the only one who knows that you're there all the time. So I hope you enjoy this chapter (despite the long wait), I don't own Avengers or Hetalia. Also please review, I love hearing all of your wonderful feedback!

* * *

 **Chapter 10**  
 **True Love's kill**

* * *

With the long night over, Liv returned to the Avengers Tower, unbeknownst to her guardian or the other heroes. Jarvis let her in without question know, after her past two nights there. She carefully stepped through the building, fully aware of Tony's traps that activated at night to ward off intruders (although Liv reckoned that these were really Natasha's traps, even though Jarvis gave his creator credit).

She almost felt like a thief in the night as she pulled up a chair to observe the Avengers and UW's two captives. Each staring at the one way window in the soft padded rooms. Knowing someone was out there. Liv had no doubt that Black Skull was able to feel her presence there. And still, all the girl could do was sit and watch members of her team stay awake through their third night in a row. Knowing she would soon fall asleep, and begin school once more in a tired blur the coming morning.

If only there was a way to free them.

* * *

Madeline W Jones was just about done with this. Fury was still missing. Carlos had began to message her once more, attempting to meet up with her in private. Her cafe had been closed for a couple days in a row, right after the grand opening and a chef had quit. Alfred was still fanboying to her in private about working with Captain America. And lastly, she couldn't help but to think of Francis since his surrender. She'd seen him in his room before, but had left without sparing her beloved even a word.

Perhaps it would be best if she met up with Carlos. At the very least he understood her, and listened whenever she had something to say. He would pretend not to notice if she suddenly went invisible. He was a good friend even if he did mistake her for Alfred sometimes. He was one of Maddie's few friends after all. Besides him there was Gwen, Ivan, and the rest of UW and um well um, well Maddie was sure there were more.

She wouldn't count the Avengers as friends yet. Actually she was still mad that Tony had flirted with her, repetitively actually. And sometimes Steve didn't hear her and even forgot she was there the moment she faded out of view. Natasha had almost killed her when Maddie had been going to talk to the spy (make another friend) and had accidentally turned invisible. On the other hand, Hawkeye didn't even seem to regard her existence at all. While she had thought Bruce would have made a good companion, even when she wasn't invisible he was too absorbed into sci-fi stuff and never heard her. Thor would have been nice to hang out with, expect he was really loud, too much for Maddie's kindred soul.

It wasn't that she was bad at making friends. No, not at all, in fact she would have been voted for the friendliest girl in school. If anyone had remembered her during the vote. As for her powers, instead of merely making her invisible, it was more like they erased her existence the moment she got embarrassed, or angry, or sad, or happy, or sometimes when she meant to. Like now. Which was a super bad moment considering she was prepping for the day's cooking. Good thing no one else was at the Maple Leaf yet (did you already forget, that's Maddie's cafe).

Kuma, her big, fluffy, white as snow, Great Pyrenees, raised his head and looked at where she was, though she knew the dog couldn't see her. He was a gift from Francis four years ago. He had long since realized Maddie's habit of disappearing suddenly, and would normally stare at the spot she had vanished from until she reappeared. Maddie liked that. Kuma never forgot about her. She didn't think Francis would either.

A trill of something, akin to happiness, maybe as close as she'd gotten since Francis was taken, resounded in her the moment Gwen was forgotten. She felt bad afterwards, but just being able to witness someone else experience how Maddie felt was brilliant. Although, even when she was forgotten about, Gwen had still gotten more attention from Francis that Maddie.

Of course, unlike Gwen, Maddie was use to being forgotten. Sure it'd been scary when it'd happened to her as a child, and her when father had forgotten to pick her up from school with Alfred, or make her lunch, or that one time when she'd been left at Walmart and every time she had gotten the attention of the employee at customer service she'd turn invisible again, embarrassed. But by the time she'd gotten to the facility she'd gotten use to it.

Her and Alfred had only been there for a couple of years when they were found. Kidnapped half way through seventh grade and rescued by SHIELD and the team during the summer before they would have started tenth. It wasn't that bad when the scientist weren't doing testing on the duo. Maddie's handler, for they often kept the twins separate, was a kind, elderly lady, and the head scientist. She never forgot Maddie either.

When UW had first rescued the twins, the only thing Maddie had wanted to do was stay. Sure there were some painful tests, but then Maddie would have always been remembered. If not by someone, then by the reports on her and even when she was invisible they knew she was around. After Francis had been taken, the only thing she had wanted to do was have someone who could see her, who could remember her.

Well to be fair, Arthur, Kiki and Liv could all see her once she turned invisible, and carry on a perfectly good conversation with her. The problem was that they never had time, or, in Kiki's case, using their powers could hurt them. So maybe, just for today, Maddie would try to be a bit more social.

The cafe opened up on time, and most of Maddie's staff showed up, despite last night's snowfall. Maddie put her chefs in charge of the kitchen, updating them on everything she had prepped and took up the position of hostess for the morning shift (the hostess who was supposed to be working had called in sick).  
The breakfast shift went well, with little trouble, and no unhappy costumers leaving. Even better, no superhero business came up. And, best yet, Madeline Williams Jones had lasted the whole day so far without turning invisible once. When lunch hour arrived, the cafe was packed, Maddie spent her time aiding in the busy hostess on shift, and aiding the waiters as they went about their work.

It was beautiful. And everything Maddie had spent her life to accomplish. Leaving an unforgettable impact on many, through their taste buds. Just as Francis wanted. Although he wanted a romantic, five star, dinner kind of place, on the top floor of some fancy hotel. Once they freed him from Black Skull's control, Maddie had not a single doubt in her mind that he'd get to work on sprucing up the Maple Leaf.

It was a normal day, until a red haired woman stepped into the Maple Leaf. A certain Natasha Romanoff. Madeline was, luckily, only wiping down a table and turned invisible the moment she saw the spy. No doubt Black Widow was here for her. Business had thankfully slowed, and Maddie took a couple of deep breathes until she appeared again, intercepting the hostess on duty and telling her to give Natasha (she'd pointed at Natasha instead of using her name) one of the private rooms in the back.

After checking in with each of her staff members, and making sure they were all on track, Madeline joined her fellow hero in the private room. When she entered the spy was flipping through one of the leather covered lunch menus. She barely looked up when Madeline entered and so the invisible girl took a seat across the table from her co hero.

They were silent for the longest of times. The only noise coming from a waitress who took their orders (Maddie ordered hot chocolate with maple syrup added, while Natasha ordered a plate of pancakes with a side of a strawberry parfait). "Kirkland informed me your pancakes are to die for," Natasha stated, breaking the silence in between the two.

Madeline was so startled to hear the spy speak, she nearly turned invisible. Well she did, not completely but her body did become translucent for a moment. "I want to try something, but I am going to need your help," Natasha stated, having waited for Madeline to reappear completely before she spoke again. "Alfred would probably be better for whatever you have in mind," Madeline replied. They stopped for a second as the waitress came in and delivered their orders, disappearing again. Madeline prided her restaurant's speedy service.

"You will be much more suited for this, no in fact, your the only one who can do this. I believe that in order to awaken Agent Bonnefoy from Black Skull's control, he is going to need you," Natasha confessed.

* * *

Madeline really wished she wasn't in this position. Natasha had explained the plan to her, but before anything else, they first had to get the cameras in the cells turned off. And the only one who could do that was one Tony Stark. When she had first heard of the plan, Madeline had nearly started crying. Okay you caught her, she did start crying, after turning invisible first. But all the same, she was prepared to do anything to save her beloved.

And so she sat close to Stark on the couch at about ten at night, as he finished his tenth shot of Whiskey (god how was he able to drink so much), in the hour. She was faking drunkenness, as she had began to serve Tony each time his glass went dry. Every couple of minutes through his speech he would reach over for his glass as he told her about Iron Man. Good thing he hadn't noticed she had stopped drinking a long time ago.

"What's up with your curl?" Tony questioned suddenly. "My...curl?" Maddie asked, then she blushed, thinking of the one strand in her hair that never seemed to cooperate, not that she put much effort into it, because of well, because of that. "Yeah, it's just so, loopy," Tony replied. Oh for crying out loud, Maddie didn't know if he was pretending to be drunk or really was.

"Can I touch it?" Tony asked. Maddie resisted the urge to cry (yet again) but giggled instead. "If you do something for me," she replied, "Can you turn off the cameras watching Francis. Just so I can talk to him alone for a little bit?" She was not going to cry, she was not going to cry.

"Sure," Tony replied, then reached over and sharply tugged on the curl. A blush covered Maddie's cheeks instantly, she hoped Tony wasn't able to see that. And she took a second to fidget uncomfortably, then he released. "Jarvis, turn off the cameras watching Bonnefoy and Carrideo for three hours," Tony requested before promptly passing out.

Maddie immediately jumped up and into the car outside the apartments the two teams were staying at. Liv was in the backseat already, hopefully caught up and believing in the whole thing. That was what their whole plan relied on. Liv's belief warping ability and how they could trick the younger girl into believing that they had truly discovered the way to free Toni and Francis.

Well that was the main reason why they hadn't told the rest of the group. By fooling Liv into believing them, no matter how they had explained they could have freed them, she would be using her powers unconsciously. That was something Chiara didn't approve of, and Maddie felt bad about betraying her friend. But she needed to save Francis, she needed someone to remember her.

It was a quick drive to Stark Tower with Natasha behind the wheel. And the car was silent as they drove through New York, none of them daring to break the silence at the sheer hope that this would work. They'd told the high school student that Natasha had broken into one of the 2p's bases on this world. When going through their computer files she'd found a way to free someone from Chun Yan's mind control. True love's kiss.

Sure it was fairly cliche, but Maddie wanted to help Francis directly, free him from the spell he'd been put under, so to say. The plan was perfect in one of the cheesy romantic ways that Francis would love. "Hey, shouldn't Chi be here too, in order to wake up Toni?" Liv suddenly asked. Ah, Maddie knew she hadn't remembered something. "Agent Varges was supposed to come with us, however she received a last minute call from her sister concerning an important matter and was unable to attend. She will do this tomorrow morning," Natasha replied without a moment of hesitation.

They pulled up behind Stark Tower, and entered the building, nearly running into the elevator, as they stood, waiting for the doors to open, Madeline quickly wondered if the stairs would have been quicker. She was so close to get Francis back, to getting her Francis back.

The elevator dings as they reached their stop, the doors gliding open on their tracks. The lights in both cells were turned off, the two prisoners most likely sleeping. Natasha keyed in the code to Francis' room and allowed Madeline in, closing the door after her. The quiet Canadian girl knew that Natasha and Liv were watching her from the other side of the one way glass without looking. She crept towards Francis' bed and leaned over him. She brushed a lose piece of blond hair behind her ear, bent down, and kissed him.


	11. Chapter 11: A Reluctant Friend

Hello and welcome to chapter 11. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, although I must admit that writing from Liv's prospective is my favorite. I do need to start experimenting in writing from the Avenger's view, which does happen in this chapter. Next chapter will be about the holidays, because how could you not include a Christmas special with Finland in the story! I still don't own Hetalia or the Marvel franchises but please enjoy this chapter anyway!

* * *

 **Chapter 11**  
 **A Reluctant Friend**

* * *

It was any other normal day, the 'Nordic Five' was walking on their normal route home. The day before winter break and just two days after Francis and Toni had been released from their prison in Stark Towers. The five joked, talked about their day, homework, tests, and teachers. They had planned to get together for coffee tomorrow as the start of Winter break. Tino pulled up his white scarf after blowing out a breath of frozen air. "Winter's here full force," the Finnish boy stated "But at least Christmas is nearly here."

"It'll be a cold one," Emil agreed, pulling his hat down to cover his frozen ears. The sun was already getting low, Berwald's after school club ending late while the rest had waited for him. "Maybe the rest of winter won't be so bad if you would knit me some mittens, Livvy!" Matthias exclaimed, throwing his arm around his almost girlfriend. As Liv jabbed him in the side and he lay withering in pain on the sidewalk as two strangers in long coats appeared down the street, strangers the Nordics paid no attention to.

"Not a chance you dense Dane," Liv replied, watching him blankly. "I could make mittens for us!" Tino suggested, clapping his hands together, "My mother has been teaching me how to sew and knit lately!" At that moment Berwald pulled Tino into a hug, daring the others to challenge him, he had recently been trying his best to woo the small Finnish boy in time for Christmas. "That would be nice of you Tino," Emil replied, starting the group forward again as Matthias stood.

"I could buy the supplies if you need me to," Liv offered. "That would be great, Liv. Maybe I can teach you how to knit too," Tino replied. They reached a small side street, the long way around to their homes when Liv paused, glancing at the strangers, it was a way they usually went to get coffee or a snack on their way home. "Why don't we go this way today?" she questioned, stopping the rest of the group. The other four looked at each other, Emil checking his watch.

"I don't know, Liv. We were already late leaving and going that way will add twenty minutes. Won't Chiara get mad if you're late?" Matthias asked. Liv shrugged, again glancing at the approaching strangers, she couldn't get her friends involved in this, she just couldn't, not with their…

"I heard that there's been a lot of trouble down that way too, Liv," Tino added worriedly. "Yet, there will be more trouble here, now!" Emil was startled, seeing the fist flying at him from one of the strangers who had been 100 feet away just a second ago. The youngest of the five barely had time to blink or realize the wave fear washing over his body.

In a split second, Liv was suddenly there, blocking the punch. The rest of the group had turned, ready to fight as Liv was forced back from the punch, tumbling to the ground. "Liv!" Tino shouted, held back by Berwald from running to her aid, past the enemy that had suddenly appeared, separating Tino, Matthias and Berwald from Liv and Emil.

"I'm surprised, Oliver didn't mention you'd be this strong," the first attacker teased, staring down at Liv and Emil. "What do you want?" Liv snarled, standing up and pushing Emil behind her slightly. She couldn't even put her hate for the _Puppetmaster_ into words. "Ah, but you see, it's more like what our bosses want, you can understand that, can't you _Mage_?" the second attacker replied.

"Oh, and what do these bosses of yours want?" Matthias asked, standing protectively in front of Berwald and Tino. "It's simple, you come with us, and no one gets hurt," the first man said, still eyeing Liv. The youngest United World member held up her hands in the universal sign of surrender. The first attacker grinned widely. "Now, leave them alone, they don't have anything to do with this," Liv ordered.

"That's funny, I meant my boss wanted all of you, and if you all come quietly then we won't have to hurt any civilians," the second attacker replied. Liv's hands dropped to her side, a dark look crossing her usually monotone expression. "If you four see an opportunity, please run," she requested, the attackers turning to her curiously. "Surely you can't expect to take us bo-!" The first attacker was interrupted as Liv lashed out, kicking him in the face, the crunch of his nose breaking echoing in the empty streets.

"Why you little!" Attacker 2 growled, lunging at Liv. The teenager jumped up, gracefully landing, bringing down her full weight on the man's back. Liv pushed Emil towards Berwald, Tino and Matthias, although she was dismayed when she saw a third person walking towards them in the same suits as the first attackers.

With her loss of focus, Liv did not register the first man approaching her until it was too late. A painstakingly similar sound to his nose breaking erupted from her leg. Liv screamed out, falling down in an instant, pain coursing through the now fractured limb. "Liv!" Tino cried out, trying to lunge past Berwald and Matthias to get to the fifth Nordic. "I'm okay, Tino," Liv responding, shakily standing up, barely touching her left foot to the ground as pain seared throughout her body. It's a good thing she was used to such pain. "You four need to get out of here, now."

"Do you honestly think you can still fight us in that condition, it's three against one," the new arrival stated. "Not for long, you see I just called the Avengers and United World," Liv replied, smirking slightly as she waved her cellphone. The first two men instantly growled deeply at the mention of the two teams. "She's lying, fools. The signal jammer took care of her little cellphone," the third man smacked the other two on their heads.

Liv's smirk faded instantly, she needed some way to get word out to the Avengers or UW. She couldn't keep fighting for long and her friends were in danger. She had already tried to surrender, and she would have, if they didn't want her friends too, she wouldn't have had to endanger them anymore. But if Liv went down, there was the possibility that the others would try to fight and get hurt.

If only they had been closer to Liv's home, then the UW would have already been out, ready to fight. The only way Liv could possibly get out of this would be to warp reality, but her friends were in her range. Suddenly she felt a comforting feeling wash over her, as though a summer wind blew in the midst of winter. Without even looking she knew who now held her up, she wasn't at their meeting place on time, and so Troll had come looking.

If only her mythical companion didn't detest fighting. _Young one, how may I help?_ The great voice echoed like thunder in her mind. _Get Arthur, Spectrum, or have Flying Mint Bunny tell him where we are, please, hurry,_ Liv thought back. With a nod of his great head the troll had vanished. But, distracted by her thoughts, the three had found their opening and Liv immediately found herself kicked back into one of the surrounding brick walls. She felt a sharp pain in her ribs and the breath was knocked out of her as she coughed up a small puddle of blood on the dented street. She got up again, immediately taking another hit as her friends called out to her in horror, all of it a blur. After that the hits came continuously and Liv gradually lost track of time as the three attackers ganged up on her.

As the third ambusher held her up by her hair, allowing her to kneel, he hummed in disappointment. "I hope we didn't hurt her too bad, the boss still has use for her. She should give us the proper upper hand," he muttered, "Why don't you two grab the rest of the kids? We have to get out of here in case UW realizes something it up." "Don't touch them," Liv croaked out, the world spinning around her. "Oh, you still have a little bit of fight left in you, guess we'll just have to weed that out right here," the third attacker laughed before jumping back in pain and dropping Liv.

The UW member could feel herself dropping until strong, protective arms caught her. "Matthias, you guys were supposed to run," Liv said weakly, looking up into the face of her savior. "Shh, don't talk now, Liv. Tino, get to work on her, we'll hold them off," Matthias ordered, gently setting her on the ground and rolling up his jacket as a makeshift pillow. Turning her head to the side, Liv could see the blur of Matthias, Berwald and Emil planting themselves in between Tino and her and the attackers.

"So you kiddos also had some fight in you, huh? Shouldn't be too hard to take you down anyway, a little more fun for us," the first attacker growled with pleasure. The first attacker took a step forward and instantly ran into something invisible, his nose breaking once more. "Mr. Kir- _Spectrum_!" Tino cheered, halting Liv's healing, as she had ordered them to never display their powers unless there were no people from SHIELD around, she disliked the thought of her friends being forced to become agents.

But now the blond haired leader of UW stood beside the powerful Russian hero. Both of them holding one or two grocery bags. "Stay back, comrades, we will handle them, da," Ivan said, a blade appeared in his free hand instantly, forged out of ice and shadow alike. The three attackers gulped instantly, defiantly fearful of facing two of the strongest UW members. "What should we do?" Attacker Two asked Three, One still clutching his bloody nose. "Retreat for now, we should have grabbed the _Mage_ when we had the chance, boss will not be happy."

In a split second the three had disappeared, and only the UW members were left with the kids. Already the Nordic Five were crouched around Liv who had passed out with relief once Arthur and Ivan had arrived. "Did you at least get a diagnosis ran, Tino?" Emil whispered as the two UW members searched the area for any more attackers, leaving the teens in once of Arthur's barriers. "Her leg is fractured, two broken ribs, three bruised, no prominent internal damage but minor cuts and bruises all over as well," Tino informed.

"We should get her to a hospital," Matthias sighed, burning with rage at the thought of her injuries. "We have proper medical supplies at Rome's house, you children do not need to worry," _Spectrum_ replied, walking up to them and dismantling his barrier, "Why don't you four get home?" Before the teenagers could protest, Matthias felt a light tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Liv holding onto his sleeve tightly. "I guess that settles that, we'll be taking Liv home, it's the least we can do," Matthias said.

He gently lifted Liv up in his arms bridal style, his jacket now settling onto Liv like a blanket. Arthur opened his mouth, but before he spoke Ivan was walking around the corner and taking in the sight. "Let them come, _Spectrum_ , they are Liv's comrades they have as much right as us, da," Ivan turned around, beginning to lead the group towards Chiara's pent house. With a sigh, Arthur trudged after them wearily.

* * *

"You didn't get the girl?!" one Oliver Kirkland growled, glaring at the three useless pawns who knelt before him. "She called United World somehow," Attacker three responded, his voice quiet. "You idiots, I told you that she could see magical creatures, she probably had one of them deliver the message to my worthless counterpart. Always foiling our plans, if only we could have taken her, then _The Crime Lord_ would finally be on my side," Oliver snarled, he threw a wineglass of red liquid across the room, and the three henchmen flinched when it shattered.

"Relax, Olly," a voice suddenly interjected into the seething British rage of a man. " _Meltdown_ , how nice of you to join me," Oliver growled, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the red eyed man before him. "You should be happy I'm here. I expected your plan to fail, which is why I got Triple L to get me an update on their next move. The kid your after is going to be ready for the taking come December 25, that's when I'm planning to make my move, so you in?"

* * *

"The only way we're going to be able to split our forces is to have teams of equal power, and with the same support. Anyone with Liv is clearly going to have the advantage, seeing as how she can trick people, and see their weaknesses. We need someone who is unpredictable," Arthur pointed out. "Do you have any suggestions?" _Captain America_ asked. "I do."

The group turned at the monotone voice to see Liv using both of her crutches as she hobbled into the 'meeting room.' "Liv, you shouldn't be up," Chiara immediately fretted. Behind Liv was the rest of the Nordic five, each looking worriedly at Liv. "I'm sorry, Miss Varges, she wouldn't listen to us," Tino sobbed. "I'm fine, will one of you take them home, I don't want them to get attacked again?" Liv asked, looking across the Avengers and United World.

"I can," Alfred replied, standing up, "I won't let them get hurt Liv. Tell the others what you need to, but fill me in when I get back. C'mon kiddos." The Nordic five were caught in between staying with their fifth or leaving and getting out of the way for hero business until Liv nodded. "I expect you to take good care of my precious friends Alfred. And I'll be back at school after winter break, don't worry about me," Liv encouraged.

"Livvy!" Matthias burst out in tears, hugging his almost girlfriend (really they were so close to dating, Matthias wished Liv wasn't so oblivious), "Make sure you're back after break ends, or else I'll never buy you coffee again." Berwald dragged the other teen off of his injured friend, nodding curtly at her, not one for words while Tino hugged her. "When this is all over, I'll teach you how to knit!" Tino declared, letting go of Liv and joining the other two by the door.

Emil stepped up in front of Liv, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Thank you for saving me, Liv. I-I, um be safe, and if you need anything, call us," Emil hugged her gently, whispering, "Please, call us, you know we can help you." Emil released his older sister figure and smiled, joining the Nordic four as they left. After the Nordics had left, Liv used her crutches to hobble her way over to the couches and sat down, rubbing her sore ribs and sighing in relief. Even after Tino's healing job, everything would still be sore for a bit. "So what's your plan, Liv?" Gwen asked, unable to take her gaze off the youngest member, disappointed that she wasn't early enough to help her.

"Some of you make not like what I'm about to say, but I think it is going to be our best option," Liv began, making eye contact with each of the Avengers. She sighed, preparing herself for the soon onslaught of debate. "I think we should recruit Loki to hel-." "No. When you said idea I thought you had a good idea. Recruiting reindeer games is not a good idea," Stark replied. "He tried to kill us," Bruce added, "and take over the world!" "Not to mention he mind controlled me!" Clint added.

"It makes sense," _Captain America_ intercepted, taking a direct hit from the glares of many Avengers, "For all we know, they outnumber us. The 2ps could take control of us at any second, and we wouldn't be able to tell. With Francis and Antonio down, and Liv injured we aren't at full power. Maybe _Loki_ could give us some insight. _Thor_? What do you think? He is your brother after all."

Silence spread across the room, all eyes turning to the Norse God who had been quiet since Liv's suggestion. " _Loki_ will not cooperate with us," _Thor_ stated, "However, young one, if you believe you may get my brother to work with us, I will give you a chance." "Thank you _Thor_. Let's get going, we need to hurry before the 2ps decide to attack again."

* * *

 _Thor_ was weary of taking the young, injured mortal to see _Loki_. He had never seen it coming, _Loki_ had, after all, tried to take over the world. Even if _Loki_ agreed to come along, by some sort of miracle, the Avengers would be hesitant to work with him, making this seem like an even worse idea. _Thor_ really shouldn't have agreed to take this young mortal.

There were already walking down to the prison, after a long debate with Odin about taking _Loki_ out of his cell. Alas they had won, _Thor's_ last resort at stopping the mortal had failed. _Thor_ thought about dragging the young one away, away from it all, the battle, and the danger. He figured she'd been the one to go through the most since the two teams began to work together.

"Ah, _Thor_ , welcome to my humble adobe! May I get you anything? A drink? A snack?" Loki sneered as the two heroes came into his view. "It is not my fault that you are in here, brother," _Thor_ replied. Liv's presence went understandably unnoticed, _Thor_ just hoped he could keep it that way. "You are no brother of mine! I was going to be king before you came along and ruined my plans! The crown was mine and you stole it from me!"

"It was not yours in the first place," _Thor_ thundered back, "You will never know what true happiness is like if you continue down this road!" "Who says I want happiness," _Loki_ snapped, "All I want is-!" "Excuse us for a moment, _Thor_ ," Liv said clearly, interrupting _Loki_. _Thor_ looked at the mortal in confusion before looking back to his brother, who had crumpled to the ground, his eyes still open. The asgardian, expecting it, caught Liv as she began to fell, her eyes wide open as she stared at _Loki_. A warm summer breeze flowed through the prison.

* * *

"-Power!" _Loki_ proclaimed. He looked around in confusion, his broth- rival no longer stood before him. In fact, he was no longer in his cell, nor anywhere he had ever visited before. The trickster looked down to his feet, standing in a soft bed of tall grass and flowers. "Where am I?" he muttered. "You are in a world of my own personal creation, _Loki_ ," a soft voice replied. _Loki_ looked around, finally pinpointing the voice from a small mortal girl.

One of her legs was wrapped in bandages, and her head also had a bandage looped around it. She had long golden blond hair, and icy eyes to match the color of a frost giant's skin. She looked as powerful as an asgardian yet as frail as a mortal all wrapped up into one. "What do you mean a world of your creation? Mortals do not have such an ability," _Loki_ replied.

"Most humans don't, but those who do have special powers have the ability to protect others. Which is exactly why I am here today," the girl replied. _Loki_ laughed at her reply, surly this girl wasn't as dense as other mortals. "I tried to take over you planet and you expect me to protect something? Get out of my sight, mortal, before I destroy you," _Loki_ scoffed.

A breeze ruffled through the field and _Loki_ was almost pushed over. He saw but a faint glimpse of some large entity by the side of the girl. "You must know of alternate dimensions, we are facing trouble from one such dimension currently. We are in need of someone with your expertise at this moment before they make another move," the girl continued, taking no notice to _Loki's_ comment.

"What's in it for me?" he questioned. "If these second players take over this dimension, I doubt they'll give you the crown of Asgard. Not to mention, _Thor_ is bound to have an alternate self, wouldn't it be enjoyable to punch him in the face?" she asked. _Loki_ couldn't resist it, he grinned, the idea of punching _Thor_ in the face, and not being imprisoned for it, that was just too good to pass up.

"I like the way you think. What's your name? If we're going to be working together, it's only fair that I know it," _Loki_ replied. "Well most know me as the _Mage_ , but you may call me Liv, Liv Boldevick. It's a pleasure to be working with you," the girl, Liv, held out her hand, something _Loki_ knew to be an Earth traditional greeting. And so he took her hand, "I'm looking forward to our partnership, _Mage_."


	12. Chapter 12: 'Twas the Night Before Chaos

Welcome to Chapter 12. This is a holiday chapter, as it is an important developmental point in the story and Liv's personal life. I know that not every country celebrates Christmas but as it is the dominate holiday celebrated in the US it seemed appropriate. Not to mention, Finland/Tino is Santa Claus. I know that the pace has been a bit slow too, but after the next chapter it should pick up more. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't own Hetalia or the Marvel universe. Make sure to review and tell me if you have any ideas for future chapters or small side parts you would enjoy seeing!

* * *

 **Chapter 12**  
 **'Twas the Night Before Chaos**

* * *

Christmas eve's eve had come and the Avengers with United World sat around the merrily burning Christmas fire on Tony's electric fireplace. There were presents littered under the fake tree by the window, each a different wrapping depending on the one receiving said gift. They had decided to spend the three merry days at Stark Tower in celebration and relaxation. Maddie, Francis, Gwen and Antonio sat on one couch, the quiet Canadian girl was squished between her fiancee and friend, sipping eggnog with a half a cup of maple syrup added n. However, the bad touch trio were drinking a strong mix of liquor and eggnog, laughing obnoxiously. Tony and Alfred had long since been drunk, dancing around the room as music blared, playing Winter Wonderland at this moment.

Chiara, who had long since escaped her boyfriend, Clint and Thor were attempting to inform the Norse god of the tradition. Ivan, Natasha and Bruce were sitting in chairs across from each other with the scientist watching in horror as the two Russians consumed Vodka bottle after bottle, both still surprisingly sober despite the pile of bottles off to the side. Arthur and Pepper were sipping tea and wine respectively as they watched the others making sure they didn't get too out of hand.

Liv and Loki sat furthermost away from the group of rowdy heroes. It had taken the girl a lengthy amount of time but she had taught Loki how to some cloth hand warmers for his older brother, of course Liv didn't really know if Thor's hands ever got cold. After communicating with him in her world, they had freed Loki and taken him back to base. Thor seemed uneasy, and Loki didn't seem too comfortable around the rest of the Avengers, never mind United World, so he'd taken to spending time with Liv and learning about the planet he had almost taken over. Tino had been sending her panicked texts non stop, but she really couldn't make a piece of sense out of them, something about elves and being behind.

Sighing, the youngest member of UW picked up her phone and shot Tino a quick text, asking what was wrong, and to calm down. "Who are you speaking to on that small mortal device?" Loki asked, looking at the phone with an exasperated expression. "It's my friend from school, Tino, he's freaking out for some reason," Liv replied, when the phone went out with a call, Tino's name appearing on her screen, "I have to take this, I'll be back in a moment."

She stood up, leaving the Norse god and answered the phone. "You picked up!" Tino exclaimed from the other end, sounding out of breath. "Of course I did, what is wrong Tino, you've been texting me all night," Liv asked. "Well you see, well first off, promise me you won't freak out like Matthias did first," Tino requested. "Fine, now what is it?" "Last year, the old Santa Claus pasted away, this year, I was named as the new one," Tino whispered into the phone, "because of the untimely death, I didn't have enough time to practice with the sled and getting into houses, so could you help me out?"

"What?" Liv asked, nearly choking on air, "Tino there is no such thing as Santa Claus." "Yes there is!" Tino yelled, "Look it's still a bit before any deliveries start so come up to the rooftop and if I can prove it to you then you have to help me. As an apology for not believing in Santa." "Fine, I'll be up on the rooftop in five minutes, if you're not there then I'm leaving," Liv responded. "Okay, see you there!"

Liv walked back into the living room of the Avengers Tower, taking a moment to gaze blankly at the two drunken adults dancing in the center. She continued to the table she sat with Loki at, informing the Asguardian that she would be back in a few moments and headed up to the roof.

The moment she pushed open the door, a chilled winter breeze blew snow into her vision, chilling her to the bone in her red and white shirt and skirt. "I thought you'd bundle up better before coming up here." The Nordic girl almost drop kicked the new comer until she realized it was Matthias. Tino, Berwald and Emil are on the roof as well, each bundled up as they sat on the giant read sleigh being pulled by reindeer. Wait, what?

"You... weren't lying," Liv stated, struggling to keep her voice monotone. "Of course I wasn't! The duty of Santa Claus is no laughing matter!" Tino protested. Liv's Finnish friend looked unusually sleep deprived, bedraggled and frantic. "We have to get going, the sun is setting in Kiribati, and Samoa. With all five of us, we'll be able to keep deliveries on time as long as we keep to the schedule," Emil informed the rest, pulling up a holographic map on his watch. It had been his own creation, what with his tech affinity powers.

"You might wanna bundle up better before we jet, Liv. While the sled may keep the winds out, it still gets pretty cold in some places we'll be going," Matthias suggested. "I will be back momentarily, meet me in central park, I'll make up something to tell Chi so she doesn't get suspicious," Liv replied. "Your the best Liv," Tino cried out, hugging the female member of the Nordic Five tightly, "I owe you one!"

"You already healed me after the fight, I am just repaying you. I'll be there in ten, be careful," Liv replied, before going back inside. As she took the elevator she wondered what exactly she could tell Chi, after all it was midnight and she normally wasn't allowed to leave home after dark anyway, unless it was for a mission. That was it, she would tell Chi she got called on for an emergency mission, nothing too dangerous just logistical stuff like normal.

"Hey, Chi, can I talk to you for a moment?" Liv murmured to her guardian as she returned to the party. "Sure Liv, what's wrong?" the attentive Italian asked, turning away from her conversation with Thor and Clint. The two Avengers also paused, watching them curiously. "Well, I just got a call from Maria, and she needs me on a mission, just the background stuff, the agent previously in charge of that is still on a mission that's taking a bit longer than expected," Liv replied.

A look of confusion crossed Clint's face, followed up by the archer looking quite offended, like he should have been called upon for this mission instead of Liv. "This late, Liv? And it's so close to Christmas, SHIELD said they wouldn't need you around the holidays," Chiara reasoned. Shoot, Liv had forgotten that her guardian had forced SHIELD to never contact her around the holidays. "My pick up would just be in central park, and Maria didn't want to, they've just been short handed since Fury disappeared. Please Chiara, I'll be back Christmas morning," Liv begged.

Her mentor paused for a moment, deep in thought before nodding. "If you really want to go, I won't stop you. But remember no going into the field and you have to be back Christmas morning no matter what, okay?" "Yes, thank you Chiara, I promise I'll be back. I'm going to go ahead to the pick up zone, and I'll notify Maria that I can take the mission on the way."

Before Chiara could change her mind, Liv quickly explained her excuse to Loki, and told him to try and get along with everyone before going down to the main lobby with her coat, hat, gloves and scarf. She quickly crossed the distance to Central Park. It took her only a moment of searching before she found the big red sled. In the back there was a large red bag, which obviously was going to be bigger on the inside than out if it was to hold all the presents for all the children in the world.

Emil sat beside the bag, bundled up and making their own route on his hologram. Matthias was walking up and down the line of seven reindeer, checking harnesses. Tino and Berwald sat side by side in the front seat of the sled, the smaller wore the traditional wear of Santa Claus and held the reins for the reindeer, while Berwald was talking to the Finnish boy, though Liv was unable to hear what they were saying.

"About time you got here, Livvy. We gotta get going," Matthias proclaimed, checking the last harness of the reindeer up front. "All aboard!" Tino exclaimed. Liv hopped into the back seat, on the opposite side of the bag as Emil, then Matthias sat beside her, cramming himself in when there was obviously more space in the front. He closed the small door on the side of the sled then leaned towards Liv. "It's going to be a long ride, might as well get comfortable, Livvy," he murmured.

"Everyone ready?" Tino asked. A chorus of yes's rung through the small space before Tino turned to the reindeer snapping the reins. "Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen. On Comet! On Cupid! On, On Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

And they shot into the sky, trees rustling behind them as they flew over New York City and soon left the States behind them.

* * *

"It's been such a long night," Emil said with a yawn. The deliveries had gone well, although they lasted all through Christmas eve. Now the five sat on the roof of the Avengers Tower, all worn out, and holding mugs of hot cocoa, curesty of a small house in California which offered them cookies and a thermos full of home made cocoa. They were enjoying their time before they parted to return to their homes, where Tino would meet the elves who would take the sled back for him.

They savored these last few, peaceful moment with the company of one another. They hadn't experienced any trouble, well actually Liv had dispatched someone who was following them in one of the houses she had visited without telling the others. She suspected they'd been sent by a second player, but she'd taken him by surprise and knocked him out quickly. "It's about time I get home, I told my mom I'd be home real early after she agreed to let me spend two nights at a friend's house," Emil announced, standing up and talking a long, last drink from his mug. "I can take you three home on my way, save you some trouble," Tino offered.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Liv about something, you three go ahead," Matthias replied. Tino tilted his head, curiosity clouding his features. "Be safe going home," Berwald commented, nudging Tino and Emil back towards the sled. He winked at Matthias as he left, leaving Liv with a spot of concern. They waved their friends a goodbye and watched as they, and the sled flew off into the night sky.

"What did you want to talk about?" Liv asked. Matthias blushed, turning back to her as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small box, with fancy silver writing on it. "I wanted to give this to you in person, I'm sorry it's not wrapped, I didn't think I'd see you again before Christmas," Matthias began. He held out the small black box to her, and looked up hopefully, his blue eyes shining with unexpressed emotions.

Liv cautiously took the box, as though she was handling a bomb. She pulled open the top slowly, sitting in the center of the small cotton square was a necklace. It was a deep blue, and almost looked like a mix between her eyes and Matthias'. The swirling blue was surrounded by silver, and connected to a chain. Liv held it out of the box gingerly, before making eye contact with Matthias, who was still blushing.

"Could you help me put it on?" Liv asked, holding the necklace out to Matthias. He took it, hesitating slightly as his girlfriend turned around and held her hair out his way. Matthias unclipped the necklace and clipped it once more around her neck. "So, do you like it?" he ventured to ask after a moment. Before he could react he was vaguely aware that his long time crush was kissing him. And before he could become fully aware of such a feat, she had pulled away, blushing for the first time since he'd met her.

"Was that a good enough answer?" Liv replied, caressing his cheek. "I don't think so, maybe if you could repeat that one more time...OW!" Matthias cried out as Liv hit him over the head. "Idiot," she muttered, "But thank you, Matthias."

* * *

Liv decided to stay in the living room as she waited for the others to wake up. Even more presents had been put under the tree, including objects wrapped in the same paper as the other presents delivered during Liv's short time as Santa Claus. The many stocking that were hung over the fire place had been filled up.

For two hours Liv sat wrapped up in a blanket with a book on the couch until at six a loud alarm rang throughout the building. "IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Alfred yelled as he zoomed into the living room, barreling into the wall. He was soon followed by the rest of the Avengers and United World.

"Hey Liv, welcome back, how was the mission?" Chiara asked, taking a seat by her young charge. "It went well, no one was injured," Liv replied as Alfred began handing out presents. The American paused as reached the pile of presents left by Santa. "Dudes! Santa came last night! No Thor! You don't open the presents left, you always start with the stockings! The stockings!" The group laughed at Alfred's antics as they all took down their stockings. They took turns pouring out their stockings, and most of them were filled with candy and such, well everyone's besides Tony's, who now sat behind a large pile of coal. "You have got to be kidding me!" he yelled, looking at everyone else's bounty.

Liv smiled while the others laughed, fidgeting with her necklace. The small, precious, confirmation of her and Matthias' blooming relationship.

* * *

"My lords, it worked. The boy took the necklace and gave it to her," an underling exclaimed. "Perfect, Mangus' first player truly is an idiot," _Meltdown_ laughed as he watched the small orb with live video feed of the Avengers and United World opening up their presents. He had only needed to have someone tell the idiotic mutant that it was from a jewelry company in Norway and that he had been randomly selected to win the piece to boost their popularity. When the first player hadn't taken it at first, he had been told that it would bring out the true feelings someone had for the giver and, on most occasions have them fall in love.

"It seems you were right, Meltdown, now, all we need do it watch and wait for the perfect moment to strike," _Puppetmaster_ replied, "It's hard to believe that The Crime Lord's strongest subordinate is the alternate to such a gullible teenager."


	13. Chapter 13: One Public Pep Talk

Greetings to one and all, to Chapter 13. I meant to have this chapter out two weekends ago but finals and the new semester at school has gotten in my way. And to top it all off, the endless hole of writers' block. But anyway I do hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you have any requests for drabbles between the Avengers and UW feel free to share! I still do not own Avengers or Hetalia, however I do own a dog named Peaches. Please enjoy Chapter 13!

* * *

 **Chapter 13**  
 **One Public Pep Talk**

* * *

"Hello everyone, this is Chess Roberts, reporting to you live from the Avengers Tower. With me to help introduce the new allies of the Avengers is Feliciana Varges, who will be talking about her newest movie after our interview with these new additions to Earth's mightiest heroes. Do you have anything to add, Miss Varges?" Roberts asked.

Arthur ducked back into the cover of the curtains as Feli began to spoke. The whole team was here, dressed in their gear. It was the twenty seventh of December but yesterday a video was posted on youtube with the United World and the Avengers working together on a mission. The public had erupted into a fury, wondering who these new heroes were. WHIH World News had offered to hold an interview to introduce the team to the public with Feliciana as the host, hoping to publicize her newest super hero movie.

 _Spectrum_ wouldn't be so dismayed if he actually trusted his team to be on their best behavior. It would be their first appearance to the public, gaining recognition as heroes rather than being the shadows that worked behind the scenes to keep the Earth safe. "First, we'd like to introduce you to _Spectrum_ , the leader of this newest team." Arthur sighed, hearing Feli's voice before he pushed his way out of the curtains. He blinked at the blinding light that faced him on the stage.

Cameras were flashing as the event went on in front of the Avengers Tower. People cheered as he walked across the stage and took a seat at one of the chairs by Feli and Roberts. He was the one to sit closest to the center of the stage, in one of the plush chairs. "Hello _Spectrum_ , it's a pleasure having you here with us today," Roberts began. "It is my pleasure to be here Miss Roberts," Arthur replied, dowsing his voice in a strong British accent. "Oh my, you're British, Mr. _Spectrum_?" Feli asked, "What brought you to America? Did you move here to work with the Avengers exclusively?" "I hadn't expected to be working with the Avengers at all, love. I moved here for personal reasons more than anything else," _Spectrum_ replied.

"Could you tell us a bit about yourself, Mr. _Spectrum_?" Roberts asked. "Of course, I am the leader of this new team, United World, as we call ourselves. I have been in the superhero business for a number of years, and I was a founding member of my team. I have been in America for many years, and find it quite com-..." "Boring~!" Feli interrupted in a sing song voice, "Tell us something more interesting, Mr. _Spectrum_... What about your love life? Are you single?"

 _Spectrum_ shuddered, wishing he didn't have a personal connection with Feli. She knew his love life was a tricky question, and to announce his love for Gwen in front of hundreds of citizens was just too much. He even felt his face turn red at that point. "Oh? So you aren't single Mr. _Spectrum_? Who is this lucky girl?" Roberts asked. At that point Arthur was reduced into a sputtering mess. The whole world was surely out to get him.

Arthur took a deep breath before motioning to the chair beside him. "How about you come out now _Firestorm_?" he called halfheartedly. As soon as the American hero stepped out on stage, Feli and Roberts shared a glance and oh'ed in unison. "So you two are dating?" Feli asked. Everything stopped. Alfred stopped walking towards his seat. The crowd stopped clapping. Birds stopped chirping. The whole world froze.

Then the clapping picked up again, much louder than before. Alfred sat down in his seat next to Arthur, hunching over immediately, as though any attempt to deny their relationship was futile. Any denial at this point would just make it seem like they were too embarrassed to let the public in on their relationship. That was how America worked, even after 300 years. And Arthur had been around to see all of it.

"If these two love birds have nothing else to say, let's welcome the next member of United World: _Blizzard King_!" Roberts announced. Ivan appeared cautiously from behind the curtain shielding the rest of the UW members from the press. He was well aware, unlike Alfred and Arthur, that Feli would probably try to render many members speechless, it wasn't like he expected anything else from the Italian.

He sat down on the chair next to Alfred, hating it, but knowing it may look slightly suspicious for him to sit anywhere else. At least he wasn't afraid of the Italian, he was just afraid of the verbal slander that could trail out of her mouth in a flash. "Ve~! Mr. _Blizzard King_ , do you support Mr. _Firestorm_ and Mr. _Spectrum'_ s relationship?" Feli asked. Ivan hesitated, sure he suspected this question, but the trouble was answering it correctly.

"Da, I support them being together. I hope the rest of America will as well, and acknowledge the good will surrounding United World's attempt in helping all of you," Ivan responded. He nearly patted himself on the back, very heroic, he sounded very heroic indeed, try and twist that Italian! But he caught a flash of the triumphant smirk that fell onto Feli's features. "You hesitated there Mr. _Blizzard King_ , are you, perchance, jealous of Mr. _Firestorm_?" she asked. "No, I am very happy for them, they deserve each other," Ivan replied, reaching out for the bottle of water that sat on the table in front of him. "Then, could you be jealous of _Spectrum_?"

Ivan could only respond with a surprised yelp. Both of his interviewers looked at each other to let out girlish squeals like the audience 'ooo'ed. Ivan glared at his American companion who looked quite satisfied with himself for stepping on Ivan's foot to create such a response. They had all fallen for Feli's trap but the last thing Ivan would let happen is allow Alfred to win like this. He was more likely to kill his companion that to let this happen.

"I am sorry, but i would rather not discuss this," Ivan replied, fringing sadness, he looked down at his feet, "You see, _Firestorm_ turned me down, after confessing my feelings for him." The crowd gasped, _Blizzard King_ could even hear the whispers of sympathy among the women in the crowd. "I don't suppose he let you down easy, did he?" Roberts muttered. "How cruel," Feli murmured, she stood up and hugged Ivan in front of the live audience, giving them the appearance she was comforting the sad hero. "With this sad note, how about we introduce our next hero, after all this interview can't last forever. Citizens of America please welcome _Rome_ ," Roberts announced as Feli returned to her seat. By the heavens, Ivan had fallen into playing Feli's game.

"Hello, Miss. _Rome_ , why don't you tell us a little about yourself," Feli prompted her sister. "Is there anything you would like to know in particular, Miss. Varges?" Chi replied, sitting down next to Ivan and relaxing into the plush chair. "Ve~, if I may, why did you decide to become a hero?" "What an excellent question to begin with. You see, when I was younger, I was unable to control any of my abilities. After meeting with members of United World, I was offered a chance to join and accepted in order to help any others understand their own abilities."

"What do you do in your free time then, Miss. _Rome_?" Roberts asked, flowing through the questions she and Feli had prepared beforehand for the majority of heroes. "I do a lot of painting, but besides that I do not really have much free time, being on this team means being ready to face danger at a moment's notice." "And before we call out our next hero, what would you say your role in United World is?" Feli asked. "My powers are not very effective when my allies are close by, however, I do excel in the field of marksmanship, so if anything I would put myself in the same position as Hawkeye in the Avengers, as a sniper and long distance fighter."

Did those three just have a completely normal interview? Ivan was astonished, had Feli's plan been only meant to antagonize certain members of their team.

"Alright then, let us welcome our next hero, _Bolt_ ," Roberts proclaimed, then she added, "And viewers at home and our live audience don't forget United World will be taking questions from you once we finish our individual interviews." Maddie stepped out of the curtained cover cautiously, keeping quiet and most likely doing her best not to turn invisible as she took her seat next to Chiara. This is exactly why Ivan liked her much more than her twin brother. If nothing else, Maddie reminded Ivan of his older sister.

"Hello," Maddie nervously greeted, fidgeting at the focus on her. "Hello, Miss. _Bolt_ , would you mind if we asked you a few questions?" Roberts asked, obviously picking up on her shyness. "Of course, go ahead," Maddie replied sweetly. Ivan could practically see the hearts of each person in their live audience melt. Maddie was definitely UW's sweetheart.

"What do you enjoy doing in your free time, Miss Bolt?" Feli began, her voice shifting from playful to soft. "Well I like cooking, but I have to spend most of my time cleaning up after Firestorm," Maddie replied. "Do you two live together?" Roberts asked. "Yes, we're siblings, you see," came the soft spoken reply.  
"He must cause you a lot of trouble then," Feli grinned as Maddie responded with a nod, "Ve~ what is your role in United World?" "I focus more on stealth but I am also able to fight and tend to be on the forefront in fighting," Maddie replied.

"Thank you very much for your time, Miss. _Bolt_ ," Roberts smiled. "Now how about we welcome _Black Cat_ ," Feli announced. Kiki strode confidently across the stage, a nice change of pace from Maddie's timidness. "Good evening, Miss. Varges, Miss. Roberts, it's great to be here," Kiki began, taking control of the conversation at once as she often did when talking to Alfred.

"It's great to have you here," Roberts replied, "If I may, why did you decide on the name _Black Cat_? As we can see from the videos of United World's debut, the others powers seem to provide reason for their names." "Thank you for the question, very thoughtful indeed. My name comes from my own parents' names when they were heroes. Of course, that was over twenty years ago but perhaps you know of _Neo Black_ and _Sphinx_?" Kiki asked. "I have, they were really strong, some even claim that the two of them together were stronger than all of the Avengers put together! What was it like being raised by two heroes?" Feli questioned.

"They were retired ever since I can remember, but they were fairly strict and tended to help others whenever possible," Kiki responded. "How did they take it when you first became a hero?" Roberts inquired. "They were shocked to say the least, and dislike the thought of me in danger, but eventually they came around to the idea," _Black Cat_ remarked.

"How great it is to see the future generation of our old heroes choosing the same path as their parents, now, let us welcome _Whisper_ to the stage," Roberts moved on. Gwen came out confidently, white hair flowing in the slight breeze the transcended on the stage. Her otherworldly beauty struck Ivan once more, captivating him, it was times like these that made him wish he had confessed his love to Gwen all of those years ago.

"Hallo, Feli, Chess," Gwen greeted, smiling at the audience. "Ciao, Miss. _Whisper_.Gwen came out confidently, white hair flowing in the slight breeze the transcended on the stage. Her otherworldly beauty struck Ivan once more, captivating him, it was times like these that made him wish he had confessed his love to Gwen all of those years ago. "Firstly, what inspired you to be a hero?" Feli replied, jumping right to the chase. "My little bruder, I've always protected him and feared for the moment he might be in danger. Eventually, I reckoned others probably felt the same way for their families, and took the proper steps to helping families stay together," Gwen chirped back.

"What a beautiful ambition, Miss. _Whisper_. Now tell us, who do you think is the strongest on your team?" Roberts continued. "From personal experience, none of us are very strong alone, so on this team we're all equals," Gwen explained. Ivan could practically fell the crowd's captivation for Gwen, her responses sounding very heroic indeed.

"Last question then," Feli chimed, "since we are about out of time and we have one more hero to introduce. How long have you been a hero for?" "About three years, although I try to pay attention more to the little things that are going on rather than aliens trying to destroy the world, that's more of the Avenger's thing," Gwen replied, "Now why don't you all give a big hand to our youngest member, _Mage_!"

Liv stepped out and took her seat beside Gwen, looking very stoic compared to the rest of UW. "Hello," Liv greeted, her voice's normal monotone having returned. Roberts looked thrown off at the dull voice immediately, but Feli looked as chipper as ever. "Hello, Miss. _Mage_ , would you care to tell us anything about yourself?"

"I am the youngest member, as Whisper stated. I attend high school and I enjoy coffee," Liv replied. Ivan couldn't help but consider what a good subordinate Liv would have made in his mafia with her poker face. "Is there anything else you would like to add, if not then we'll take three questions from our live audience and two phone calls," Roberts asked. "That is it."

"Alright then, we'll be drawing a random seat number to receive a question from so just hold tight~!" Feli called out to the live audience. "Mr. _Spectrum_ , would you do the honors of choosing someone?" Roberts asked, holding out a jar filled with small pieces of paper in it. Arthur reached in drawing out one of the thin slips and announced the number (Seat 58), almost instantly, a certain Dane was up on stage, showing his ticket to some of the body guards and being welcomed on stage.

"Hello and you are?" Feli asked, holding out a microphone to him. "Matthias, my name is Matthias. I have a question for _Mage_ if that's okay?" he asked, taking the microphone. Feli nodded, and there were some encouraging shouts from the audience. "Alright, here it goes," he muttered, "Miss. _Mage_ are you free or are you currently in a relationship with someone?" Needless to say, Liv wanted to strangle him right then and there, the public be darned. "I am in a relationship, however I may be free soon, if my partner keeps acting like an idiot," she droned, glaring.

Matthias grinned all the same, "Well if you decide to break up with him, would you like my phone number?" At that point, Roberts stage whispered to Feli: How bold. "No, next question," Liv responded. Matthias was promptly escorted off stage after the hero's response. Ah the troubles of your girlfriend being famous.  
"Seat 78," _Spectrum_ called, having drawled out the next number, and soon after he called up Seat 55. Both commented on the 'love triangle' of United World and both questions were easily deflected. "Next, we'll be moving on to our phone questions, our tech assistants have already placed our first lucky one on hold, so let's pick up before they too impatient," Roberts said, pressing a button on the phone that was laid out on the table before UW. "Go ahead and ask away," Feli chirped.

"Do you like games?" a familiar voice asked. Each member of United World froze in their seats, petrified at the sound of _Black Skull'_ s voice. "Excuse me?" Roberts asked with a frown. "Not you, senseless woman, I am talking to United World. So tell me, do you like games? Is that what this is, Tongzhi? Did you really think this would help you?" _Black Skull_ questioned.

Silence had taken over the previously enjoyable interview, no one spoke and no one moved. "What are you planning, _Black Skull_?" Arthur asked, seriousness of the situation adding bite to his voice. "You must be mistaken, you have offended me, I had not been planning anything until this moment. But Tongzhi, let us make this a game, just how many can you save?" The phone turned off just as an explosion rang out. An abandoned sky scraper, just on the other side of the small square began collapsing, everything looked, felt and sounded like it was in slow motion as people were too scared to flee for their lives, and perhaps knew they would not make it.

" _Black Cat, Firestorm,_ crowd control, now!" Arthur snapped, soaring into leader mode. " _Mage_ , I am going to need you to tell _Blizzard King_ where he should add the supports at. _Rome_ , slow that down right now! _Bolt_ get _Whisper_ over there now, if it starts to collapse, I am going to need you to block the civilians from the blast. Go now!" Arthur yelled.

Already, Kiki and _Firestorm_ had immersed themselves in the crowd as the latter raced the former around, spreading out a wave of calm among the civilians. Maddie and Gwen were gone in a flash, but the latter's white hair was visible from the stage when they popped back up in front of the building. Liv was already pointing out and describing the most important places for Ivan to put in icy supports while Chiara slowed down the building's collapse. Arthur was unable to enclose the building until his teammates were done, least he had hindered their efforts.

In a sheer matter of minutes the disaster had been stopped, without lives lost or any collateral damage. Something which took the civilians by surprise. 


	14. Chapter 14: A Twisted Love

At first I had planned to release this chapter as well as the next as one...but then I didn't exactly know which route this would take until I started writing it. Which means the next chapter will probably be a fight chapter with Arthur vs... Well you'll find out by the end of this chapter. There's also a ton of cuss words buried in this chapter, most of them in different languages, so look them up on your own accord. The only Russian phrase in this story translates to my love. Things are going to start picking up, and 2ps are going to start being picked off from here on out to lead up to the final battle. I still don't own Avengers or Hetalia, nor do I ever expect to. Please enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review, because when I feel like this story is appreciated by someone, words tend to come easier, strange right?

* * *

 **Chapter 14**  
 **A Twisted Love**

* * *

The _Crime Lord_ was well aware that his companions were scared of him. He savored in this fact, it wasn't like he had put in all that hard work for nothing. But recently, Nikoli had bigger things to worry about than his comrades. Three years ago he'd learned about his true love's continued life in the other world, the mirror world. And, to make it better, this dimension held an alternate version of his most trusted subordinate.

While the Russian _Crime Lord_ knew that this girl would not be the perfect copy of his dearest subordinate, the excitement of seeing Zamora overwhelmed any worry he held. His beautiful Zamora. Nikoli hoped there were not hurt feelings from last time, after all, it wasn't like he'd wanted to kill her, it was just part of the job.

 _Crime Lord_ would finally be able to rebuild his family, finish taking over his universe and get rid of those disgusting comrades of his. All things would go as plan, and it'd only costed him a fortune to get started.

Last night he had purchased the live video feed from _Puppet Master_ , for only the small fortune of one million American dollars. He would wait until the _Mage_ was all alone, or with his love, or maybe if his love was with someone who wouldn't be too challenging before pouncing. And if that didn't work, he'd test Mangus's nightmare powers on all of United World.

But, first thing first, Nikoli had a ride to catch to his neighboring universe, on a trip for four portal there, which he and Mangus would take and return on with Zamora and _Mage_. All things would go according to plan. There was no longer anything in the universe that would pit itself against him. Not even death itself.

* * *

New Years had come and gone. Without word or trouble from the 2ps and the still MIA Director Fury. Although, Gwen didn't particularly mind Fury's absence too much, he needed to chill every once in a while. The other members of United World ruined that for her, saying Fury had too much valuable information to just leave him in the hands of the enemy. So, the team split up into pairs to scout New York City for anything suspicious, in civvies of course.

Gwen, still cautious of interacting with Francis and Toni, chose to go with her Russian teammate instead. Although she knew it wasn't their fault, yet the fear that had overwhelmed her when they'd forgotten who she was, was just too terrifying to face again. Not to mention, Francis would probably enjoy a day with Maddie, and Toni with Chi.

 _You may not avoid them forever, especially if that means you will be hanging out with the Russian more_ , Zamora snorted in her thoughts. Gwen's counterpart had been talking a lot recently, but had eased up on the uneasiness that normally lingered in her mind while Ivan was around. _I can try, you also have to get over your wariness about Ivan,_ she replied, chancing a glance at the tall Russian who was silently walking beside her.

 _He looks too much like Nikoli, it's impossible,_ Zamora growled. Gwen stifled a laugh at that, her 2p was normally able to do anything, and unwilling to give up, yet facing down the Russian was but an impossible dream.

"I hear police sirens," Ivan commented suddenly, keeping his voice low. "Let's go check it out, could be the 2ps," Gwen replied, "Lead the way." What she hadn't meant was "Ivan let's run as fast as possible down the streets to where you are hearing the sirens from." But that was what she got. There was but a moment when she thought she lost the Russian, only to catch a glimpse of him turning down an alley way.

She rushed after him, already out of breath and wondered briefly if Arthur would yell at her for changing into an animal in public to run after her comrade. She turned down a few corners, always just catching the last sight of Ivan before he turned down the next one. Gwen ran for what seemed to be whatever, until she nearly ran into a dead end brick wall.

"What?" she asked aloud, hoping she hadn't missed a turn from before, but no, she'd seen Ivan go down this way. Where was he?

 _Gwen, something isn't right, we should get out of here now,_ Zamora, ever the voice of reason, called out in her mind. I _t isn't like Ivan would just lead us to a dead end,_ Gwen frowned, looking around. She lifted a pale hand to the cold wall, pulling back suddenly at the excessive coldness. A cracking echo filled the alley, and Gwen looked down at the corners of the wall as ice laced it's way up in a thick layer.

 _Gwen get out now, it's him! Run now!_ Zamora screamed. Already the ice was forming a wall on the only opened side of the alley, no way out but up. She quickly transformed into a Pied Wagtail, a small song bird which she felt comfortable to maneuver in should the need arise. Gwen flapped her newly formed wings, lifting her into the air. But the moment she had taken to the skies, the ice had began to move faster, closing her into an icy dome.

The enclosure was complete so quickly that Gwen hit the ice at the top of the dome hard in her small song bird form, letting out a pained chirp as she tumbled down through the air. She lost the form of the small bird once she hit the ground, the impact jarring her tail bone. "That was a feeble attempt, Моя любовь," a heavily accented voice chuckled.

 _Die Arschmade,_ Zamora cursed, _We're done for._ "You're Nikoli, aren't you?" Gwen growled, she pushed aside a whimper of pain as she stood up, her whole lower back hurting. "Indeed, I suppose Моя любовь has told you about me then. My dear Zamora, I have come to take you back home," Nikoli replied, stepping closer to the wounded hero, who took an awkward, hobbled step backwards.

The 2p had gotten strangely quiet at that, and it seemed like she had erased herself from Gwen's mind for the moment. _Gee, thanks for leaving Z,_ Gwen mentally huffed, though she could spare no more thought to it as she faced the villain. "Z does not wish to go with you," Gwen stated, staring at the huge, broad shouldered villain. There was probably a 1% chance of this ending in her favor. The odds were so not awesome.

Of course, that's never stopped Gwen before.

"In fact, she doesn't even want to speak to her murderer, so why don't you high tail it out of here, before the awesome me kicks your ass back to your universe," Gwen rumbled. She needed something fast, but also big and muscular to even begin taking him down. The idea flashed through her mind, in an instant she had been turned into the bulky form of a rhino.

She charged him as his cold eyes flashed with interest. It looked like something had set his will ablaze again as he flicked his hand up. Gwen was forced to stop, her large legs covered in solid ice. After a split second of trying to pull free she shifted into a vole, using the animal's small body to escape the icy prison.  
Once freed, she turned into a large lion, once more taking to charging him, she doubted any other technique would increase her chance at winning anyway. Maybe she could hold him off until Ivan found out she was missing, or the other heroes noticed something awry. Surely they wouldn't forget about her. She slowed, her mind distracted with worry, she only snapped out of it when it was too late, a tide of ice slammed her against one of the cold brick walls of the alley. Gwen was forced to shift back to her human form, as she had to do each time an injury stunned her, even momentarily.

The albino hero nearly choked on the blood that spilled out from her mouth. As the ice retreated the former rock star fell to the ground on her hands and knees, coughing as Nikoli merely stood and watched her. _Z, I really need help, does this guy have any weaknesses?_ Gwen questioned. There was no answer, her 2p still withdrawn into the depths of her mind.

"You should give up now, hero. No one is coming to save you," Nikoli commented nonchalantly. The villain was still at ease, it was apparent that Gwen was no threat to him. Hopefully she could catch him offgaurd like that. "Schluss mit lustig! You're going down, der Penner!" Gwen proclaimed. She was out of options, he probably knew that as well. The area was enclosed so any attempt to use her sound wave manipulation would backfire on her unless it was strong enough to break the ice. Shape shifting didn't work, and it wasn't like she could turn into an insect, they were normally only good for transmitting diseases, she needed Nikoli gone now. Then there was Zamora, her trump card, who was currently MIA as well. Gwen was royally screwed.

Maybe her teammates were coming, Ivan had probably informed them that she was missing. It wasn't like they would forget her...

 _"Do you know her, Francis?"_

The words played back into her mind like a haunting melody. "You have been forgotten by your team, have you not, Whisper?" Nikoli asked, his harsh tone turning gentle in a moment. He even looked sympathetic, like he understood her, as no one else had. The fear of being forgotten, of being replaced, being alone. All of them limited Gwen, but they were boundaries she could not break, she never thought she would have to do it before.

"Heroes throw away those who are not immediately useful, wouldn't you agree. But that is much unlike me. I would never throw either one of you away," Nikoli cooed, taking measured steps closer to Gwen. "Halt die Klappe," Gwen murmured weakly, staying down, unable to stand and unwilling to look at the villain.  
"We villains never forget our own. No matter what may happen. Is there anyone on your team who would do the same?" Nikoli questioned. Was there someone like that? Who would never forget her? Hadn't Toni and Francis said the same thing once?

But they had lied, they had forgotten her and thrown their precious memories with her down the drain. "There is no one right? Come with me, Gwen. And you will never be forgotten again," Nikoli grinned, holding out a hand towards the white haired heroine.

* * *

Ivan didn't know what to do. One minute Gwen had been right behind him and then the next she had mumbled something about leading the way and ran off in the opposite direction. He'd ran after the German, but after a couple of turns, he'd lost the white haired beauty. Arthur would probably kill him if we ever found out that Ivan had let the girl go herself in danger. But he'd already been running around town and calling Gwen's phone constantly, there was no other choice, and he'd need back up should Gwen have encountered a 2p.

He started a group call through the system that Kiki had created and programed all of their phones with. Waiting for one member of the other group to pick up as he listened to it ring on his side. "What's up, commie?" Of course Alfred had to be the first one to pick up, how horrid. "Please get away from the crowd you are with, I can hear them over the phone," Ivan said.

"Whatever, commie. Keeks, over here!" Alfred yelled to his girlfriend, "So what'd you and Gwen find, a portal to their world?" "You found a portal to their world!" Antonio cried over the phone, tapping into the conversation. "What good news," Francis added in. "Nyte, I did not, Alfred was merely being an idiot," Ivan replied. The other callers all 'ah'ed in understanding.

Last to pick up was Arthur, who had taken to patrolling alone since Liv was still resting. "What happened, Ivan? Did you run into one of them? Is Gwen okay?" Arthur questioned, "Everyone is here, right? Go on and get started."

"Right," Ivan replied, trying to figure out how to put it so there wouldn't be a sudden, angry outburst. Just how were you supposed to tell someone that you lost track of their girlfriend? "Gwen and I were patrolling and she suddenly stopped. When I asked her what was wrong she said something about checking something out and then she ran. I couldn't keep up with her and I lost her. I've been trying to call her for the past ten minutes, but she hasn't answered her phone."

There was total silence on all of the other lines, with the exception of a deep inhale by the team leader. "Kiki, once we hang up try to track down Gwen's phone. Chiara please call Liv and make sure she is safe. Toni, call the Avengers to check on Liv, if the enemy is going after us, she's the most likely target being alone and injured. If Liv is in immediate danger, Francis, Madeline, Toni and Chiara you four will go back to base. Madeline, you will be team leader, depending on how Chiara responds, teleport your team to base. The rest of us will be converging on Ivan's location, and if Liv is okay until the Avengers arrive, then join us as well. Alright, get going," Arthur ordered. He hung up and began racing towards Ivan's location as he was the furthermost away.

* * *

As the Brit ran, he selected Gwen's contact and pushed the call button, pressing the mobile device against his ear as he ran. He heard the dial tone, once, twice. Then someone answered the phone. "Gwen! Thank god! Where are you at? Ivan said he tried calling you and you didn't pick up! You had us-!" "Who is this?"

Arthur froze in mid sprint. It almost seemed like time became still as a wave of coldness washed through his very veins. "Gwen, it's me. Arthur. Look enough is enough, just tell me where you are," Arthur snapped. He instantly felt disappointed in himself, it was rare for him to snap at Gwen, but it never ended in a good result before, Arthur doubted it would do so now.

"Is this how you normally treat such an angel?" a new voice asked over the line, "I can see why she joined me so easily." "Where are you holding Gwen?" Arthur yelled. Heads turned to look at him all the way down the street but he didn't care. There was only one person who mattered right now, and that was Gwen.

The Russian on the other side of the line chuckled, "You must be _Puppet Master's_ counterpart. The leader of your little team if I'm not mistaken, _Spectrum_ is it?" "Answer the bloody question," Arthur snapped back. "Very well, if that is what you truly want. I suppose, since you are the hero you will be coming alone. Or should I prepare accommodations for all of you?"

"I will be enough to crush you," the immortal growled. "Then come to Wood Chip Vantage Point, Central Park. I have cleared away the crowd already, we will be able to go all out." With that, the Brit was hung up on. Central Park was the opposite way from where Ivan was, but it wasn't like Arthur would need the others. He could handle this man. But still, it'd be a ten minute run. If only Uni was a fully grown unicorn, the maybe he could have caught a ride.

Arthur turned around and ran, towards Central Park, towards Gwen, towards the enemy.


	15. Chapter 15: Transparent

So I actually had this chapter done about an hour and a half after posting the last chapter. I thought I would have more trouble writing the fight but I just kinda slapped on some music and the words flowed. It took all of my will to not post this last week when I had it done, but I hope all of you enjoyed the cliffhanger. The next chapter is meant to be a little funny to take a small break from this tension but you'll soon be learning more about each character's experience that shaped their present selves. Still don't own Hetalia or Avengers. But please enjoy this chapter anyway! And don't forget to leave a review, your kindness inspires my writing quality.

* * *

 **Chapter 15**  
 **Transparent**

* * *

It took Arthur fifteen minutes to reach the meeting point with that bloody bastard who'd taken his Gwen. Five more minutes than what Arthur would have liked, but still rather good. The Brit was out of breath, to be honest, it would be hard to hold up in a fight after the long sprint, he wasn't exactly a kid anymore.  
But that was no matter, he figured, as he saw Gwen, standing beside a large, imposing figure. "You really came alone, _Spectrum_. What a foolish move," the man with a Russian accent chuckled. This, Arthur realized, was Nikoli, the man who had killed Zamora, who had made the one who protected his love when he couldn't suffer.

Arthur was going to kill him.

"Save it Nikoli, let's end this now," Arthur growled. "So you do know my name, I suppose it was my Zamora who told you," Nikoli chuckled. He released Gwen from the half hug he had captured her in, but to Arthur's disappointment, the albino beauty stayed where she was, looking like she was put under some type of trance.

"Release her now, I don't want Gwen getting caught up in our fight," Arthur demanded. "Nice try, hero, the moment I let her go, I loose you until you come back with reinforcements. Nyte, I rather pick each of you off when you are alone. Use your power, _Puppet Master_ had told me that you can make barriers, enclose our trophy in one," Nikoli instructed.

Arthur did as he was told, though he hated the 2p, this was probably the only way to keep Gwen safe once he went all out. But he was distracted, and realized it too late as Nikoli took the opportunity to strike.

Before Arthur could make a move, he was on the ground, staring at his severed arm that lay next to him. "Ha, too easy. If all of you heroes go down like this, it won't be much of a challenge, I wonder what the others were squealing about," Nikoli chuckled. He bent down next to Arthur, pulling his head up by the Brit's golden locks.

"Any last words?" Nikoli asked, laughing aloud after that, as if it was the funniest joke in the world. "Why did you take her?" Arthur questioned, voice weak from blood loss. He only needed a few minutes, a few more minutes and he would take this man down. "My, what a question, what a few final last words. So selfless, the enigma of a hero lies dying before me," Nikoli yelled, his voice echoing in the empty Central Park. He looked down at Arthur, as though waiting for some type of reaction, a snappy comeback, something. Arthur wasn't about to humor this man, he only needed him distracted by his own madness.

"My Zamora, when she lived, was so pure, so innocent. She's the reason I became a villain you know. I was a hero before I realized that she was more absorbed in all of the villains rather than her fellow hero. I led her along in a tragic chase, betrayal, and death of her beloved baby brother. It was only then that she began to pay attention to me.

"Imagine that, my very own angel paying attention to everything I did. I became her villain, I distracted her from the plans of the others. We played cat and mouse daily. But she still didn't love me. I turned into a villain for her, and she still wouldn't love me! So I decided to play a little game with her.

"Over the years, and before her death, I collected only allies who could match my ability to change what someone saw, how they felt, and manipulate their world until all they could see was what they wanted. That was how I won her over. She thought she was changing me, prodding me gently back towards the light. That was also a part of her beauty, Zamora was so easy to control, even when I wasn't trying to, it would just happen. It's the same thing with Gwen here.

"Neither one of them believes in themselves, or others. They are both so eager to hide away from reality because they can't face their true personality. Zamora became Gwen's shield from her reality, but take that away and Gwen is willing to do whatever she can to escape. She fell into my hands so easily, and didn't even fight to remember you," Nikoli exclaimed, then he frowned, "But you, on the other hand. You are impossible to control. Nothing like that-!"

Arthur could take it no more, he was healed enough, but this man wasn't going to talk down about Gwen or Zamora anymore. He'd only used Zamora as a toy, and Arthur wasn't going to let him do the same to Gwen. Punching Nikoli was perhaps the most satisfying thing Arthur had ever done in his life.

"How did you heal?!" Nikoli thundered in outrage, as Arthur flexed his reattached arm. "The only thing you should be worried about right now is trying to dodge my attacks, Nikoli. No one mind controls my girlfriend and gets away with it!"

The ancient Brit tackled Nikoli to the ground, leaning over him as he pounded the Russian's scared face until the bigger man managed to push him away. "Is that what really ticks you off, _Spectrum_? My facade was so transparent. It was not I who tricked them! But they who tricked themselves!" Nikoli roared, charging at Arthur.

* * *

"So where's Artie at?" Alfred asked, "I mean he was the one who told us to meet here." "You don't think he got lost, do you?" Madeline asked, "New York is a big city and he's not really that good with using a cell phone yet." The group paused in collective thought. The Avengers were with Liv already, who had been asleep when the four members of UW had teleported into her room ready to fight when she didn't answer her phone.

"It seems like his location is near where Gwen's is, do you think he found her?" Kiki asked, holding up her phone to display the two blinking icons to the rest of the group. "Where are they?" Ivan questioned, looking at the map. "Looks like they are at Central Park, should we teleport there?" the petite Japanese girl asked.

"Central Park was the total opposite way to here from Artie's previous location. He would have contacted us if he needed help, but we might just get in the way if we suddenly appear now. It could be so dangerous that he didn't think we could come out alive. Let's make our way there on foot, but be ready to teleport at any moment," Alfred suggested.

"I hope they are both okay," Francis murmured as the group began to walk towards Central Park. "Do not worry, mi amigo. Gwen is too strong to let anything happen to her. It's not like Zamora or Arthur would let anything happen to her either. Let's have faith in our third," Toni exclaimed, slinging his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Yeah, your right. But I just can't forgive myself for forgetting her like that. And we still haven't talked to her about that yet. I hope it's not effecting her any."

* * *

Arthur was about ready to bite this man's ear off. It was a quick way to end a fight, and that was what the Brit really needed. The gentleman was covered in blood, which would never come out of his white shirt at this rate. It wasn't all his blood, but a fair amount of it was, coming from his dismembered arm, the multiple hits that he had taken or the part of his scalp that Nikoli had repeatedly hit with a rock. That had been quite painful.

If he had just a moment between attacks, then maybe Arthur could have killed him with a beam of light or something. But the 2p Russian didn't actually have any powers, besides allowing one to see, feel and experience what they expected. This man was completely useless against Arthur who could see past the facade.

Arthur only took the chance to end the fight when he shoved the man right down into The Lake, which they had steadily neared as they wrestled. Arthur gathered a ball of dense light in his hand, careful not to look at the glowing ball for fear of temporary blindness. He scattered the light into small, condensed pellets, showering them down into the place where Nikoli had landed.

He waited a few moments and when the Russian didn't come back up, Arthur trudged back towards his girlfriend. She was seated in the little transparent barrier he had created around her when he'd expected the use of super powers in the fight. His treasure was curled into a ball, hugging her knees, her shoulders occasionally shaking as she was undoubtedly crying.

His darling Gwen should never have to shed a single tear.

He released the barrier as he walked towards her, besides the wall that supported her. _Spectrum_ nearly fell on top of her, hugging him close to his bloodied white shirt. "It's okay, Gwen. I'm here," he murmured to her. "Arthur, I thought all of you forgot about me. I thought you guys didn't care for my anymore. That no one remembered," Gwen cried.

"I could never forget you, Gwen," Arthur stated, pulling back from the hug and lifting up Gwen's chin to look in her eyes. He stared at her beautiful red eyes, reflecting so much emotion and pain for a long minute. "You are the one who brought me back from walking the line between death and life. Gwen you are the reason I want to live, even now," Arthur continued, "I love you Gwen. I won't ever forget you. So please don't ever forget me."

Before his girlfriend had the chance to respond, he sealed her lips with a passionate kiss. Only interrupted by the bright flash of a camera and Alfred. Alfred who yelled, "Arthur's an animal!" for all of New York to hear.

* * *

They had injured master badly. He had barely managed to get master out of the attack's way in time. And he was glad he'd gone against master's orders and followed master around. Least it be that master no longer existed now.

He would make them pay. They would pay for the pain they caused his master in their nightmares. For he was _Nightshade_.


	16. Chapter 16: A Flying Mint Gift

Hello and welcome to Chapter 16 of UW. Now then recently I've been considering that after the defeat 2p Russia and his fraction, that this segment of the story ends and I begin on a sequel. So each story would have two parts, such as this one having the intro and 2p Russia, the next might have two of the 2ps. If this story is completed just be on the look out for one that is also by me, but I'll make sure to give all of you readers a heads up. Shout out to IceyTech for their reviews, I really appreciate them. I still don't own Avenger of Hetalia but the plot is something that I will be taking credit for. Now without further ado, I give to you A Flying Mint Gift.

* * *

 **Chapter 16**  
 **A Flying Mint Gift**

* * *

"Hey Liv, Flying Mint Bunny was wondering if you and Troll would like to join us for tea," Arthur announced. It was, of course, like any other morning spent with UW and the Avengers. The good news of Arthur defeating, and possibly killing, one of the 2ps had brought the group back to life. The deceleration of death had been met with a night or five of drinking, and not much worry of what would come next. The team felt invincible, but the question was how long this peace and celebration would last.

But back to the matter at hand. The moment one Tony Stark had heard Arthur he burst out laughing, nearly spitting his coffee out at Captain America, who sighed in a mix of disappointment for Tony and wonderment of how Arthur could say something like that in front of the billionaire.

"What are you laughing at?" Arthur snapped back, his face turning a bright red in a blend of embarrassment and frustration. "You couldn't at least come up with something better for your imaginary friend's name. Isn't it obvious that mythical creatures don't exist?" Tony replied, a smile lingering on his face as he wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"Flying mint bunny is real!" Arthur yelled, "Don't insult her!" "It is really funny isn't it?" Alfred asked, laughing alongside Tony at the offended Brit. Tony, feeling encouraged from being joined by a fellow hero, opened his mouth to continue only to be interrupted by the Brit. "At least I don't believe in aliens!"

"Dude, that was so not cool. Tony is my like total best bro! You've even met him! You can't say that you don't believe in aliens when you've met them!" Alfred retorted. "Tony?" Captain American asked in confusion. "Oh yeah, he's like my best alien bro. He helped us out during a fight one time but his space ship crash landed. I helped him get it fixed up, but he had to go back to his home planet afterwards," Alfred explained, suddenly sidetracked as he began to rant to Steve about Tony.

"Alright, look, if you show me these magical fairy friends of yours, then I'll take back what I said," Tony Stark finally relented. "There is no way that you can..." Arthur trailed off, turning away from Tony to look at something beside him, "Really? Well what do you... oh so not too hard...oh so maybe a little bit... but it's something you could do, right?" The room had froze, and those who could not see the creatures Arthur spoke so fondly of appeared rather dumbfounded in the face of his assumed insanity.

"Very well, Stark. I will take you up on that, by tomorrow you will see that Flying Mint Bunny is just as real as you are," Arthur proclaimed, "Liv would you like to join us, still for tea of course?" "Yes, I think that would be nice, although I would enjoy some coffee instead."

* * *

The next morning all of the Avengers woke up to the sound of Tony Stark screaming. Liv had already been taken to school and at the time of the scream, only Chiara and Arthur had been awake and in the living room. Without a single moment of hesitation, the two teams ran to help Stark against whoever had attacked him, although Arthur walked towards his room, a smile overtaking his features.

Stark was tangled in his sheets, pressing himself against the far corner of his bedroom and looking at the doorway in horror. "Is this a joke, Stark?" Natasha instantly growled, her morning training having been disrupted. "Can't you see it?!" he squeaked in reply, pointing right in front of him towards the doorway where the rest of the Avengers and UW stood.

"What are you talking about, Dude?" Alfred questioned in confusion. "Jarvis is there anything there?" Steve asked the AI, assuming that the half blanketed mess of Stark was incapable of answering. Luckily it was his lower half that was covered. "There is nothing in Mr. Stark's room with the exception of the Avengers and United World, Captain Rodgers."

"No AI is built to sense them, no offense Jarvis, but it does seem like I won our little bet," Arthur announced, strolling in with a grin, he put his hand up to the air, as if he were touching someone, "Would you stop pointing at troll, he gets a bit shy." A number of laughs awoke from the audience at that point.  
"I'm impressed that you were able to put Stark in his place so quickly," Loki chuckled, watching the troll disappear to return to his friend's side as she sat through school, and fill her in on the events. "It has been a pretty grand display," Thor thundered, watching the Kappa, Yokai and Zashiki-warashi laugh. Kiki giggled slightly, welcoming the nisse into her arms as it's much bigger friend left. Arthur stood triumphantly in the company of Captain Hook, Uni, a couple of pixies and Flying Mint Bunny.

Not that most of the Avengers or United World could see them, but for those who could, this was perhaps the most entertaining incident that had happened since the two teams met. **  
**

* * *

It had taken a while, and the disappearance of the magical creatures, with the exception of Flying Mint Bunny and Kiki's Yokai friend, who wasn't too intimidating, before Stark had calmed down. The group of heroes had left him to get dressed and they all reconvened in the living room to share a cup of coffee, or tea, with the billionaire who did his best to avoid looking at Flying Mint Bunny or the small Youkai that had made itself comfortable on Kiki's head.  
"I'm sorry that I didn't believe in your...friends," Tony Stark finally admitted.

Arthur merely grinned in return, satisfied with the apology. No one moved for a long time, choosing silence in the wake of recent events. While they had defeated Nikoli, well more like Arthur had, there were still a number of the second players to face. Fury was still missing and Chun Yan was still in the hands of the second players. Despite their nights of celebrating they still had a long way to go.

"I am going to go out for a jog," Antonio announced, rising after the first hour or so had passed. "I'll come with you," Steve added, having missed his morning jog. Perhaps having a partner in his morning routine would help push past the feeling of discouragement. "Are you sure, mi amigo? After all I won't go slow for you," Antonio asked.

"I'll do my best," Steve promised with a grin. The hero and agent left the group and reconvened after putting on their own jogging suits. They were escorted to the door by Chiara, who Antonio was pestering to join. "It'll be good for you, I am sure that you could use a nice jog, Chi," the agent claimed, putting his shoes on. "What's that supposed to mean, Toni? Besides I have a portrait commission I really need to finish up," Chiara replied, "Make sure you don't talk to any strangers, you two. And Steven, please make sure you don't pass by any pet stores, this guy already has enough turtles, no matter what he says."

"Don't be so mean Chi, you can never have enough turtles," Antonio protested. "I will make sure to avoid any pet stores in the area," Steve swore, grinning at the thought of Antonio with turtles and how Thor would react when he saw such animal. "Fine," Antonio pouted, "But I want a kiss before I leave." The Italian rolled her eyes before kissing her Spaniard boyfriend.

Steve blushed and turned away from the passionate display, feeling as if he was an intruder in the entrance way. He could practically feel the love that surrounded the two, as if the very definition of true love stood before him.

When they broke their passionate embrace, Chiara all but pushed them out of the door and into the hallway outside of the apartment. "Shall we go?" Antonio asked. Steve nodded, "How about we have a little race to Central Park, think you can go that far?" "I may not look like it, but I was the fastest runner on my school's track team. Don't fall too far behind," Antonio replied.

The two joggers crouched down and in unison made their run towards the stairs, down them and out of the building. The jog was a short 1.4 miles, and even at Steve's normal speed, Antonio was able to keep up, something unheard of for a normal human.

They decided to walk together around Central Park, seeing as how they didn't really know much about each other. Steve had only seen Antonio around Chiara and the other members of the bad touch trio. But Antonio alone was a completely different person. He was sweet instead of mischievous, and less on guard than he was when around Chiara.

"How did you two meet and you know, become such good friends?" Steve asked. "My family works under Chi's grandfather. Since I was close to her age I was assigned to be her friend and watch over her," Antonio began, "I used to have to act really cold hearted I guess. I felt like I could only show my real personality around Gwen and Francis. But the only way I was allowed to spend time with them was when Romulus deemed that Chiara had made progress on her way of becoming the next don."

"Emma and Carlos didn't really like Chiara so we worked together and made her life miserable. She just got annoyed by us, but we never stopped unless she punished us, whether that was having one of the other members beat us up or almost shooting us. If she complained to Romulus, it was her that got in trouble for not being able to handle it.

I didn't stop for a long time, my first year in middle school we played our worst prank. Chiara had gotten revenge on us by cutting Emma's hair while she slept, so we decided to do the same thing. We stuck a ton of wads of gum in her hair while she slept and soaked it in some Vaseline. We thought that maybe she would just get her normal payback but instead she went to Romulus, after all she was still in elementary school so she didn't know what to do.

"After I got off of school, Romulus told me to bring Chi her dinner, because she hadn't eaten all day, or come to school. He had her locked up in the basement which was really creepy and full of spiders after having someone cut and wash her hair. I apologized immediately and waited down there with her until Romulus found it fit to let her out. I stopped playing pranks on her and we started to hang out," Antonio finished.

Steve was amazed to say the least, with what Antonio had done to her, he was surprised he had remained friends with Chiara and became lovers. By now they were almost back to Avengers tower when they saw a familiar figure. "Isn't that Liv's friend, um Matthias?" Toni muttered.

The high schooler was wearing a black button up with a red tie and slacks. His hair looked less spiky that it had when they had last seen him, but Steven assumed it was because he had gotten a haircut. He had a thin scar across his left cheek and he looked like he had skipped a day of shaving.

"He's probably here for Liv, school got out just a little bit ago. I heard from Chi that they are dating so maybe he's here to pick Livvy up," Toni concluded. "Should we let him in?" Steve asked. "I don't see why we shouldn't," Toni replied and ran over to the high schooler.

They talked as Steven made his way over slower. Something seemed slightly off about this whole thing. He wanted to get a closer look at the boy but Toni was already leading him into the building. "I'm going to take the stairs," Steven announced once they reached the main lobby. If he hurried then maybe he could ask Liv if her friend was supposed to be here today, or at least alert the teams about the possible enemy.

So the super soilder ran on ahead, banging on the door the moment he got up to their floor. "Coming, I'm coming," he heard Alfred yell from inside. Once the door swung open Steve rushed in, as seconds ticked by his feeling of dread had increased. In a flash Steve was in the living room with the rest of the Avengers and United World. "Liv do you plans with Matthias today?" he asked, even as he heard Antonio entering.

"Matthias? No I-..." "Livvy your date's here," Toni called. He walked into the room followed by Matthias. "What are you doing here?" Liv asked, standing up and walking towards Matthias. "I am here to take you back home, norge," Matthias replied, to the confusion of everyone. He swooped forward, kissing Liv in front of the heroes. Matthias held her close as she tried to pull away but released her as Liv suddenly went limp and dropped to the ground.

"You bastard, what the fuck did you do?" Chiara growled, jumping at him. But the intruder merely touched her and she collapsed to the ground. "Chi!" Toni cried out. "Don't touch him," Steve ordered. The Spaniard was forced to dodge backwards as the intruder lashed out at him. "Who are you?" Arthur snarled.

"I am called _Nightshade_ , I do believe that you met my master, _Spectrum_. Nikoli wants UW for his own purposes, Avengers if you stand down you will not share the same fate as these two," _Nightshade_ informed, motioning to Liv and Chiara. "What fate do they have exactly?" Loki asked. "Why, they are reliving their worst memories, until I wake them up," _Nightshade_ reply, "Now why don't we find out who'll be joining them next."


	17. Chapter 17: Memories and Trickories

Hello, and welcome to chapter 17. You'll have to excuse me for the bit of late posting, this chapter has been difficult to write in the emotion and putting the vague pasts I first wrote out for each character into more detailed memories. _**Now, I cannot say this enough but this chapter does contain abuse, mention of suicide, bullying and other traumatic events, I DEFIANTLY WOULD LIKE TO CAUTION ANYONE BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER IN THE CASE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE SUFFERED FROM THESE IN YOUR OWN LIFE. THIS CHAPTER IS MEANT TO CONVEY NOT ONLY WHAT UW HAD GONE THROUGH, BUT ALSO THE SEVERITY OF THESE EVENTS AND THE MARK THAT THEY HAVE ON ONE'S LIFE. IN NO WAY IS ABUSE, BULLYING, SUICIDE OR RAPE ANYTHING TO JOKE ABOUT!**_ With that I really do hope you enjoy this chapter, no matter how depressing it may seem. I don't own Hetalia or any part of the Marvel industry, but please enjoy all the same! Also, the second part of this chapter will be posted next week, since they should both be pretty long, so look forward, or don't, to Madeline, Kiki, Liv and Arthur.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **Memories and Trickories**

* * *

Chiara could still remember the first time she saw her grandfather cut off a man's finger.

Feli was never allowed in on the meetings Nonno had with traitors and allies. Feli was going to be an idol, Chiara was going to be the boss of a tech firm which covered up the mafia she would inherit one day.

She was only five at the time, her parents still alive, but Nonno threatened her of what would happen should she tell her parents what she witnessed. Her father had refused to be the next don of the Varges Mafia. Chiara's parents wanted her to live a normal life, not follow her Nonno's legacy. They were the only people in her life who ever cared to ask her what she wanted to be once she grew up.

She still remembered the last time they had asked. Feli cheerfully bouncing up and down as they were on their way to spend time with Nonno. She had declared once more she was going to be the best idol in the world. Chi had replied after another thoughtful moment with her stoic response of police officer.  
Her Nonno hadn't been happy the first time that she had told him that. It was only after that when he began to take her to these meetings, telling her parents they were dance lessons, showing them the bill for the lessons he paid for, but never allowed her to attend.

This particular day, some of the top men in the family had brought in a traitor who had leaked out news of a weapons trade to the cops long ago. He had been in hiding for a long time, but Nonno had found him. Nonno always finds the traitor. This man in particular had made a terrible mistake, he had attempted to leak word of Feli's location and daily schedule to a rival boss. Well and her own schedule too, since she was to be the next don, but Nonno didn't really care about her, it was all about Feli.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Alessio?" Nonno had asked. The man looked like he was going to piss his pants, but still stared defiantly up at Nonno. The old executives of the family, along with their young trainees sat to the side of Nonno, watching the man. But Alessio kept silent. Chiara knew, from her previous encounters with him, that he was normally silent. He had been in charge of picking up the Varges twins for a full month, telling their father that he only worked with the tech firm, not the mafia.

Chiara had liked Alessio, she had told him a lot of things, mostly because he was the only member of the mafia who listened to her. They talked about what Chiara wanted to be when she grew up, school, her despise of her Nonno and sometimes he'd tell her stories of his missions for the mafia. Even after that month had been up, Alessio had become one of Chiara's bodyguards when she sat in on her grandfather's meetings. When he took her home after a really bad one, they'd stop and get ice cream.

She hadn't believed it when some of the mafia members had brought him in, handcuffed, blindfolded and wounded. When they had taken off the blindfold, Alessio had looked around the room frantically, and then turned his pleading eyes to her. She couldn't help it, at that moment she looked away.  
The mafia members read his crimes aloud, and each of the executives gave their opinions before her grandfather stood up. He put his large hand on her head and forced her to look at Alessio. That was when Nonno had asked him. "What do you have to say for yourself, Alessio? You tried to kill my granddaughters. Even the precious heir to this family."

Silence washed over them, every mafia member in the room staring at Alessio, waiting for him to respond. Eventually, the man cleared his throat. "I didn't commit the crimes you accuse me of," Alessio rumbled in his rice baritone voice. "That was the wrong thing to say, Alessio. You should know better than to lie to me," Nonno had growled, but he seemed happy at the response, almost giddy.

He pulled Chiara along with him, as he walked towards the man, still gripping her head. "As a punishment, we'll be taking two fingers and your tongue, Alessio," Nonno informed the kneeling man. He ordered one of the men to get a crate and had them pin down Alessio's hands on it, fingers spread. "Chiara," Nonno said, bending down to look into her eyes, he released her head but held onto her wrist as though he was afraid she would run away at any second. Which was exactly what she wanted to down.

"Chiara, this filthy excuse for a man tried to hurt your sister. I want you to punish him," Nonno went on, handing her the knife he kept with him at all times. He pressed the handle into her small hand, a hand that had never held a knife before with the intent to cut off someone's fingers. She instantly shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "Nonno," she whimpered, "I can't do this."

"Chiara, don't give me that. You are to be the next don, this will soon become your duty as it did the same for me. If you are not able to do this, perhaps Feli would be more fit to become the next don," Nonno whispered to her. Chiara shook her head again, no way could she let her innocent twin do this. If it had to be either one of them, Chiara knew it should be be her. After all, she was the useless one.

"That's my girl," Nonno replied. He let go of her and stepped back, allowing Chiara to see Alessio, the pleading look in his eyes. His hands were worn, calloused, aged, but familiar. She stepped towards the crate his hands rested on, just as a mafia member secured the hands down, and stepped away. Everyone in the room was watching them, watching their heir take the next step towards becoming their don.

"Chiara, you don't have to do this. You are the master of your own life, you can't listen to your grandfather. He plans to-!" "Chi do it now," Nonno pressed.

Chiara could still remember the first time she cut off a man's finger.

* * *

The Avengers, Toni and Francis had done their best to make the fallen members of United World comfortable. It had taken Arthur, Gwen and Ivan pinning Nightshade down to finally subdue the villain after he had already taken Alfred, Kiki and Madeline. They had made a brave sacrifice, knowing their worst memories lay ahead of them for touching the villain. Tasked with the responsibility of their unconscious comrades, the Avengers and two agents were in desperate need of finding a way to bring their teammates out of such memories.

However, no one knew of any task they could undergo that would summon their friends back from the depths of their minds. Antonio was brooding by Chi's side, holding her hand and muttering in Spanish. Francis had tried to counsel his friend at first, but it was like Tonio was trapped in a dazed state his eyes only focusing on Chiara.

Nightshade was still left unconscious in the corner, handcuffed to the steel pipe in the laundry room where they could keep an eye on him. "Why don't we just wait for them to wake up?" Tony asked, "It's not they can just stay in that state forever." "I don't think that's how it works, if they are really going thought their worst memories I bet the last things on their minds is how to escape. We need to pull them out," Francis replied, taking a sip of the cold black coffee made earlier that day.

"But how? It's not like any of us can go into other people's heads," Clint sighed. While he knew the situation was grim, he was relieved that it hadn't been him, Natasha, Bruce or Tony that were sent into their worst memories. Surely UW's memories weren't as bad.

"Arthur is in a lot of pain, can't you do something?" Flying Mint Bunny cried, laying on Arthur's chest as the British man let out a long pain filled whine. Troll, who stood by Liv, grunted in dissatisfaction, staring at Loki. From Arthur's short day of seeing the magical beasts so far he figured Troll only communicated telepathically, although he had rarely even tried to talk to Tony. However, the Nordic beast talked to Loki quite frequently.

Loki cleared his throat the moment Troll went back to brooding over Liv, sending a breeze over her in an attempt to wake the mortal up. "Perhaps I may express my own thoughts of future action," Loki began once the attention of all had turned to him, "I believe our best course of action would be to wait until our guest wakes up and force him to send us into their memories."

"Let us hope it will be soon," Thor muttered, looking over at Liv, "If this one's power acts up and she warps this reality we could all be in trouble."

* * *

Ivan never forgot his father.

He was a man who'd tortured him, who made him use his powers for bad, who made Ivan into the monster he was today. Even after Irunya had taken him and Natasha, his younger sister, away, he dreamed about his father coming to steal him during the night. He'd often go and sleep with Irunya when these nightmares hit.

On one particular occasion he went to Irunya's room when the power was turned out. He stumbled through the dark house, tears streaming down his cheeks as he went. Her room was in the basement, while his room was on the second floor. Ivan had nearly fallen down the stairs several times during his journey to his sister's room in the pitch black of night.

He'd made it down to the living room when he saw it. The figure walking towards the kitchen. "Irunya?" Ivan called softly, after all it was dark, and he couldn't see a thing, he had to be his older sister, he'd reasoned, who else could it have been. Oh how wrong Ivan was.

In a split second the figure disappeared, and a hand clamped over Ivan's mouth as he was lifted up, still ten years old he could do little but struggle, trying to peel the man's hands off of him to yell. Yell anything, yell for help, yell for his sisters to be safe, yell at the man or yell at himself for being so stupid.

"Stop struggling Ivan. I've been looking all over for you. Did you three really think you could get away from your father just by moving to America? I thought I was going to have to kill that whore of a daughter but you came right to me. You must have missed you Papa," _General Winter_ laughed softly. The little Russian began struggling, clawing ferociously at the large hands, rough and calloused from killing.

His father seemed to pay no attention as he merely walked through the doorway, the front door lying cracked on the soft carpet of the house. The house of the three siblings was surrounded by woods, no neighbors to stop Ivan from being taken. He was going to be taken back. Back to murdering others. Back to being under his father's control. Back to being a monster.

His father removed his hand from over Ivan's mouth as soon as the house was out of sight. He instantly let out a small, choked sob. "I don't want to," he muttered. "I am only looking out for your future, Ivan," his father set him down, knowing the smaller wouldn't run, "We are one in the same. They don't understand us, they can't. We must show them the right path by killing the corrupt, by becoming the new rulers of this world, and killing those who hinder our righteous path, my son."

Ivan continued to cry, he could hear a shout in the distance and vaguely wondered if his sister had woken up and seen the damage to the house, and was looking for Ivan. She couldn't come here, papa would kill her. Ivan couldn't let her come here. Which meant he had two choices. He could go with his father, or he could...

Ivan shook his head, he couldn't leave his sisters, he couldn't leave Chun-Yan, not after all she'd done for him. He was only left on option. The small nine year old, his growth stunted, his hair and skin pale, red streaks down his eyes, took a deep breath. He let his mind go blank. _General Winter_ didn't notice, he was too busy making sure no one was around, Ivan guessed that this was the pick up point his father had arranged.

Silently, as though Ivan was like the night itself, he formed a single sharp piece of ice in his hand, and he threw it, hard, at his father. There was a sickening sound that filled the air when the ice sunk into his father's back, straight into his heart, if he had one.

"Ivan," his father stated, turning to look at him, the ice sticking out of his back. The once proud villain sunk to his knees, and touched a hand back to the wound. Once the bloody hand came back, the look that appeared in his fathers eyes during a killing appeared. And the dying man laughed.

"You really are just like me Ivan," he said, grabbing the small child's face, "You have just thrown away everything that you wanted to be, normal, and stabbed me with it. Now, you must remember this..." Ivan struggling trying to pull away from the bloody hands that imprinted his cheeks with the red liquid. "Listen to me Ivan!" the defeated man snapped, "You may have killed me, but I will live on in you. For you and I are just alike. We're both monsters after all."

Irunya found him sobbing, only ten minutes later. Still dressed in her silky robe, barefeet and a startled look in her eyes as she saw her little brother. Sitting beside a blood coated piece of ice, with blood covering his face and a mad gleam in his eyes, much like their father had. Their father who lay dead at Ivan's side.

Ivan could never forget the part of his father that had always stayed with him since that moment.

And the scene replayed, over and over and over and over.

Alfred was always the star of every show.

He was captain of his Middle School's soccer team, and football team. By his freshman year of high school he was the star quarterback and a starter in soccer. He thought nothing of it when his seniors invited him to hang out during lunch. Despite what many think, Alfred was not an idiot, he knew about the different social group of high school, and he knew what happened when you were unpopular or different.

It was like any other day the first time it happened. A girl who was deep in the geek territory had walked past the football team's table. She normally hung out with the captain of the hockey team because he was dating her older sister, but today she was alone. Since hockey season had started, Alfred had assumed there was a meeting during lunch, he didn't think anything of it.

The guys on the football team had talked about her a lot. Whether it be about how cute she was, or their regret that they couldn't date such a hot nerd. He hadn't expected what they said to turn out for the worse.

Just as the girl was walking by, a player at the end of the table was standing up, he knocked into the peite girl and sent her food flying, a smudge of applesauce landing on his new white shoes. "Oi, you just messed up my shoes, do you know how much these cost?" the player yelled instantly. "I'm sorry, I'll pay for it," the girl had offered, trying to put as much stuff back onto the tray. Her expression had remained blank, as though she wasn't as sorry as she had hoped to be.

"I think we're going to need more than a new pair of shoes for what you just did to James," the captain of the football team growled, grabbing the frail girl's arm and pulling her out of the cafeteria. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop in the usually loudest part of the school. Everyone was staring at the scene which was unfolding, but no one had moved to help the girl as she had been pulled out of the room. Alfred hadn't done anything to stop them either, he had only followed the rest of his team, not wanting to be singled out as a freshman who wasn't a team player.

Alfred really should had done something at that point.

He followed them into the boy's locker room in the gym, the group skillfully avoiding teachers the whole way. When they'd arrived the captain threw the girl up against the lockers, balling his fist up in the front of her shirt. She still looked rather underwhelmed by the whole ordeal, but if he'd been in her situation, Alfred knew he'd probably have pissed his pants by now. The captain probably weighed twice as much as she did, there was no way she could fight back.

"Well, how do you think our little honor student should apologize for ruining James' shoes, team?" Captain had asked. The team had replied with a mix of replies, some of which Alfred wouldn't dare have repeated again. Captain had glanced around the locker room before roughly pulling the girl towards the bathroom stalls. "Alfred, get up here, time to make you into a real member."

Alfred hadn't known if he had been picked because he was a freshman just like this girl, or because he didn't seem as enthusiastic about this as other members, but he reluctantly stepped forward all the same. Captain shoved the girl towards him and Alfred latched on to her arm, making it impossible for her to escape. "Go on kid, I'm sure you know what to do," Captain had said, kicking open one of the stall doors.

Alfred had done it, something he never imagined he would do. But the team was happy, cheering him on as she stuck the girl's face in the toilet bowl without a single regret in that moment. He hadn't stopped until the door to the locker room was opened and he was nearly picked up and tossed aside by the captain of the hockey team.

The girl's sister had rushed to the aid of her sibling, pulling her aside and wiping her face with her sleeve. The smaller girl was gasping like a fish out of water, for the first time since it had started she looked panicked. Her glasses had fallen off during the events and her hair had become undone from the bun it had been in previously.

The rest of the football team was getting their butts kicked by Ivan while Alfred remained in the spot he had landed, feeling numb. He had finally worked up the nerve, without the pressure of the team around him, and crawled towards the two sisters. "Is she okay?" Alfred asked.  
He hadn't expected to be slapped by Chun Yan, although he did deserve it.

The scene cleared before Alfred, each person disappearing from the locker room. The door banged open and he saw himself enter again with the rest of the football team. They were dragging Kiki in once again. He remembered this, probably his worst memory of his life, Kiki had been gone for a few days after the incident, but the day she came back, the football team had plotted it's revenge on Ivan for beating them up. The rest of the team was still bruised up, complete with black eyes and one or two had lost a couple of teeth.

"Alfred, get up here," Captain had called again. But this time he had planned for it, he wasn't going to let something like that happen again. If he wore his glasses to school and talked about his interest in aliens he was positive that he would have been bullied alongside Kiki. He met Captain at the same place he had stood just a few days earlier. "You know what to do, Alfie, show her what happens to those who mess with the football team."

Alfred had nodded, and latched onto Kiki's arm just the same. "When I say go, get out of here," Alfred whispered into the ear of the shaking girl he held. He sensed but a moment of confusion before she slightly nodded her head. With that, he threw himself into the closest member of the team, knocking them into two more players. "Go!" he yelled, turning to take on his next opponent.

The moment he saw Kiki get out of the locker room and heard the door slam shut he sighed in relief, he had stopped them from hurting her again. He had stopped himself from her getting hurt again. In that small moment of celebration, the Captain of the team knocked Alfred to the ground. His team, the team he had fought with on the field so many times, the team he had celebrated victories with, the team he had shared laughs with, and trusted, and spent his time with, began kicking him. At that time he had tried his best to curl up into a ball and protect himself from the onslaught of kicks and punches, but he couldn't find the strength to do so.

This was the team he had betrayed. This was his punishment for betraying them. For not helping Kiki the first time. For being different. The next day he wasn't allowed in practice, he was shunned by his team. For the first time Alfred was a social outcast.

Alfred was always the star of every show, until he wasn't.

He couldn't escape all the pain as it replayed over and over.

* * *

Gwen loved her family dearly.

Gwen was always surrounded by others. It was how she planned it. If she spent time with others, and could have no one find out or would think she was weird. Of course, life was pitted against Gwen from the very start, so she could never trust the ones around here, that is, until Arthur, Francis and Toni came along.

But like all good things, there was a time before she met her friends. When she was fighting to keep up her brilliant facade in second grade. The only one she could truly confide in was herself, the part of her that was alienated from the rest, that called herself Zamora. They had always been together, bantering, fighting and talking. Some part of Gwen was glad that she was never alone, that there was one true person she could always be herself around.

When Gwen had first began her life she lived fitfully. There hadn't been a single day that Gwen wasn't the most popular girl in her class, her outlandish appearance aiding her in rising up the popularity ladder. Ludwig adored her as an older sister, filling her in on each thing he did in his preschool class after she was finished with her day in third grade.

Gwen's life had flown much live a river, the bad parts moving away swiftly while the good days remained externalized in her mind. Yet, it had all changed the day her father had joined the army. That was the day her mother turned back to drinking. She had once dabbled in the nasty habit before Gwen had been born but stopped with a promise on the wedding day of her parents.

It had all returned the moment her father left.

The first night Gwen had come home to be hit with the strong scent of bear floating around the house. Her mother was drinking with a group of people Gwen had never seen before. Already there were empty bottles strewn about the living room. That night she had crept upstairs and sat in her baby brother's room with Ludwig as they did there homework and slept in there. Gwen figured her mother was not in the right mind to take care of the baby.  
When Gwen had came home the next day her mother was still sleeping, the living room still a mess. By the time Gwen had made dinner, cleaned up and helped Ludwig with his homework it was too late to do her own. For the first time since she had started school, Gwen returned with none of her homework done. The teacher pulled her out in the hall and asked her if everything was okay. Gwen had merely replied that she missed her father and she would try better in the future.

The third night was when Gwen's mother made the first move. When the albino elementary student had returned home, her mother was yelling at Ludwig, the baby was screaming upstairs and Luddy was crying up a storm. Gwen had intervened instantly, pushing Ludwig upstairs and had him take care of the baby. Then she accepted the punishment that would have bestowed Ludwig should he had stayed.

For the first time in her life, Gwen was slapped.

As if everything was normal, she went to school the next day, and when asked about the fading mark on her face, Gwen would boast about going on an adventure to space and getting punched by an alien. Her peers had laughed, not believing her but forgetting about it anyway. Only her teacher, Miss. Williaks had paid it anymore mind. When she got home that night, her mother had yelled at her after receiving a call from Miss Williaks about it. That was the night Gwen got spanked for the first time.

Still, Gwen continued on as if nothing was happening at home, if not for the few late assignments. Her time outside of her home was limited, and some nights she was forced to serve her mother's friends their drinks, other nights she took the blows that would have been delivered to Ludwig or the baby.

By the time fourth grade had hit, they were forced to sell their house. Her mother had gotten behind on rent, even with her father sending extra money to them. From there they had moved into a small two bedroom apartment, moving to a different school district along the way. The children there were not as forgiving of Gwen's appearance there. She was bullied each day, and came home to be beaten.

Of course Gwen's daily return was better than what happened that fateful day.

Gwen returned home late that day, walking with Ludwig who had a small performance that their mother wouldn't attend, as an older sister it was her duty to fill in where her mother didn't. When they entered the apartment there was not but one sound besides their mother yelling from the room the childern shared.  
Gwen pushed Ludwig right back outside into the hallway and ran to the room. Gwen hadn't known what her mother was doing to the baby, but judging from the lack of noise, it hadn't been good. She had charged her mother without thinking, only to be swatted back. Colliding her head to a nearby dresser had knocked her out for a moment, but once she snapped out of her dazed state she caught a glance at the dull metal of a .44 Magnum revolver on the floor, carelessly left there by her mother.

It was a mad scramble to the gun, but upon reaching it, and adjusting her small hands in position, Gwen had pulled the trigger twice. It was only a few seconds before her mother had fallen to the ground. Instantly, Gwen rushed to the baby, who had stopped making noise. His eyes were glazed over, and Gwen knew that it was too late. She had been too late. Ludwig, who had heard the shots had called an ambulance and police, but it was too late for her mother, or for the baby.

Only a week later Gwen received a letter that her father had committed suicide.

Gwen had failed her family.


	18. Chapter 18: A Day in a Dream

Well I really hope everyone is ready for another sad chapter. However, due I have tried to tone it down a notch so as not to get too emotional. Before we go any further I will be issuing the same warning I did last chapter: _**Now, I cannot say this enough but this chapter does contain abuse, mention of suicide, bullying and other traumatic events, I DEFIANTLY WOULD LIKE TO CAUTION ANYONE BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER IN THE CASE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE SUFFERED FROM THESE IN YOUR OWN LIFE. THIS CHAPTER IS MEANT TO CONVEY NOT ONLY WHAT UW HAD GONE THROUGH, BUT ALSO THE SEVERITY OF THESE EVENTS AND THE MARK THAT THEY HAVE ON ONE'S LIFE. IN NO WAY IS ABUSE, BULLYING, SUICIDE OR RAPE ANYTHING TO JOKE ABOUT!**_ With that I still do not own Hetalia and Avengers. The next chapter might be happier (I hope) but please enjoy this one all the same!

* * *

 **Chapter 18**  
 **A Day in a Dream**

* * *

Madeline didn't know.

She didn't know how her father and brother could always forget about her. Pretend she wasn't there even after they had just finished talking to her. As a child she reckoned they played a game with her, just testifying to her that she didn't belong with them. Madeline yearned to see her mother.

As a child she spent a month gathering each penny that she saw, plotting out her route on a map, and gathering anything she thought might be useful. The small, invisiable girl counted down days in anticipation of seeing her mother again.

Finally, the day of Alfred's big little league football championship arrived. She had told her papa that she was going to spend a night with a friend for their birthday, and as the two left they didn't even look back to tell her goodbye. Once the old car had pulled out of the drive way, she gathered up her things, putting them into the backpack with wheels. Madeline had collected a total of twenty three dollars and thirty two cents, which she figured would leave her with a little pocket money once she made it to her mother's house in Canada.

With her stuffed polar bear in her arms young Madeline set forth out the back door, crossing the empty lot behind her house and through town until she made it to the wooded area near their neighborhood. This was her first rest stop, a mile long which had taken her twenty minutes to reach. Upon finding a good tree Madeline leaned her back against it as she drank a juice box and took a few moments to ease her anticipation.

Madeline had planned the reminder of her trip along roads that were out of the way, so when, if, her father came looking for her, he wouldn't be able to find her easily. Madeline would make it to her mother's house and her mother would hug her and kiss her and never forget about her.

If only she knew what would happen next.

Throughout the day clouds had been gathering overhead in the greying sky. Those who were watching the news forecast for the past few day knew of the prophesied rain with winds of up to 50 mph. Seven year old Madeline had more important things to do than watch the news each day.

It struck at 5:39, sprinkles suddenly turning into sheets of rain. The small pink umbrella that Madeline had brought with her was instantly blown into the wind. Her map was smeared from the water. Her shoes suffered the worst, covered in mud. By now, Alfred and her father would be getting home, but it would be a few hours before they remembered her long enough to realize she was gone.

To this day, Madeline didn't know how long she wandered around in the down pour. It had felt like days, but in all reality it was probably only a few hours.  
Madeline was hopelessly lost, cold, wet and crying. She wanted nothing more than for her mother to come and pick her up. Even her father and Alfred would be fine at this point. "Why does everyone always leave me?" she moaned quietly.

With a sudden yelp and a few seconds later, Madeline found herself on the ground, covered in mud by the small slope she had just fell down on. She ached all over from the fall, and her things were scattered. She lay like that for a long time, unable to move her leg without feeling a burning pain. The invisible seven year old lay there sobbing until the search party found her a mere two hours later. It felt like forever to her.

That night she spent at the hospital with a broken leg and a fever. Her father never left her side, Alfred only leaving once to go and get something to drink for the father son duo. Madeline zoned in and out of sleep, exhausted, in pain but waiting for her mother to come and tell her everything would be alright.

"Where is mom?" Madeline asked the first time she had stirred out of her restless sleep. Surely her mom knew that she was injured. Madeline knew that her mother wouldn't leave her alone.

"Oh, sweetie," her dad said with a sob, his brows furrowed as he looked away from his injured daughter laying in the white sheets of the hospital bed. "Alicia is gone, she passed away. We all went to her funeral together," he finally replied. Madeline had been to no such thing, but she remembered the day Arthur and her father had dressed in black, looking somber as they forgot to take her where they had been going.

The day Madeline broke her first bone was the day she discovered her mother was dead.

Madeline had always known that everyone would leave her eventually

* * *

Arthur didn't dare remember a time without her.

Gwen was the light of his life, and he could still remembered when he met her. Francis had introduced them. He had met that bloody frog through a book club, and the next thing he knew, the frog was claiming he must relax to come to his party to find a date. Of course, while he had seen her, she hadn't even spared a glace at him.

That first time he had seen her, Gwen had looked like an angel, coming to take his soul. She had been beautiful, a radiant existence in his dull life. Arthur hadn't thought that someone that beautiful could live on this Earth. His heart swelled the moment he lay eyes on her.

Only a moment later his heart shattered into thousands of pieces as she glared at him and began talking to the blonde beside her. Arthur, after living thousands of years, recognized their close relationship immediately.

"I see Gwen has caught your eye," Francis had commented, handing Arthur an elegant glass of wine, "well yours and that of every other man here." Arthur felt suddenly bitter, the French man could woo any woman into his bed, and here Arthur was, getting glared at before he even opened his mouth. "Who is that man she is talking to?" Arthur questioned. The two were laughing, enjoying themselves as every man in the party glared daggers at the blonde besides Antonio and Francis.

"Ah, yes that is her younger brother, Ludwig. And the pretty little Italian next to him is Feliciana, his girlfriend," Francis replied with a smirk.

Arthur practically spit out his drink, perhaps she wasn't dating anyone. That would be a miracle wouldn't it? Even if she was single, the angel had made it all too obvious that she wasn't interested in him. "Gwen's been dating Edward from book club for quiet some time now actually," Francis added, anger shining in his eyes. Arthur hadn't paid attention to it then, but he really wish he had.

As if on cue, the man had strolled up to Arthur's angel, planting a kiss on her lips. Edward was a biker, he practically lived in his leather jacket, and a Pharmacist. Arthur as usually homeless and a hero, who rarely had a paying job. Gwen deserved someone who could build her a good life, and not someone she would be homeless with.

Arthur had spent the rest of the night with Francis, being introduced to various guests by the handler of United World. The team was still in it's beginning days with a total of three super powered members and Francis. While Chun-Yan and Ivan had each other, Arthur was a stranger, only joining because Shield had successfully tracked him down. Well he had other reasons of course. No normal event could kill him, but this was his chance to face a villain how might.  
Arthur had lived long enough as it was.

Thousands of years of watching everyone around him die, with the exception of Arthur's older brothers who hated his guts, took a lot out of him. He had only been trying to make his father proud and happy after another unsuccessful result.

It was only when he was shoved that Arthur snapped out of his pity party. Edward had pushed past him, dragging Gwen towards the door by her wrist as she soberly followed. She looked hurt, trying to make eye contact with anyone she passed, her eyes pleading for help once she caught his eye.

Immediately Arthur knew what he had to do. He bid Francis goodnight, and ran out the door of the house, turning this way and that to try and find out where the couple was gone. His only clue was a yelp that echoed about the empty streets. Arthur was a hero, he wasn't about to let Edward to something to such a woman.

Thinking fast he ran down the street, peering into each side street as he did so, hoping it wasn't too late. When he saw two figures, one pressing the other up against a wall, he skidded to a stop, changing direction. The lack of light made it hard to see, but Gwen's white hair and red eyes seemed to shine in the darkness of the street.

When he saw Edward raise his hand to slap the girl, Arthur realized he would be too late to help. To stop the aggressor from harming the angel of his dreams. "Stop!" Arthur yelled, hoping to distract the man if only for a moment.

It worked, but not the way he intended it to. The moment Edward had paused to look at the intruder, Gwen had knocked the man down, a swift punch to his once handsome face had done that. "Are you alright?" Arthur asked, running the rest of the way to the angel.

"Indeed, we ar-," she stopped looking at Arthur her eyes brimming with hatred. She seemed... different somehow. Arthur wasn't sure how, she didn't look different, she just felt different to him, something about her he couldn't put his finger on. "Oliver," she hissed suddenly, looking directly at Arthur, "I didn't think you knew how to make it into this world. I supposed you are here to finish what Nikoli could not."

"Oliver? Nikoli? What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, confused as approached him. In one sudden movement she had slammed the invincible man up against the alley wall, holding him there. "Don't play dumb with me," she growled viciously, "who else is here? Tell me now!"

She was choking him now, he couldn't breath. He was clawing desperately at her hands, feeling the flesh rip as he did so. Just because he was immortal didn't mean that something like this didn't hurt. His body was still human, and his lungs craved for oxygen over anything else.

"I can't breath," he rasped desperately, feeling his consciousness begin to slip away. "Shut up," Gwen ordered. No, that hadn't been right, she hadn't been Gwen at that moment. Arthur had no choice but to use his power.

Sure he craved death, but this wouldn't kill him, and he couldn't stand the pain any longer.

His actions had been a bit extreme, as he later recognized. As his hands dropped to his side, he gathered light into his left, forming a dagger and without a moment more of hesitation he had stabbed her.

As she fell, bleeding from the wound in her stomach, Arthur saw one last thing before he passed out. Francis' horrified face slapped with the realization that Arthur was a monster. Perhaps he was right, Arthur truly was not human anymore.

Arthur didn't dare think of a time when she wasn't her.

* * *

Kiki always wanted to go outside.

Her body was too weak to play outside like other children. Most doctors thought she wouldn't make it past her first year with the condition of her heart. She seemed to only get worse as time passed. Her only companions was the kappa, the zashiki-warashi and the small yokai. Even then, they only visited her during the spring and summer before leaving for a place to hunker down for the winter. Chun-Yan, her adopted sister, would watch over her sometimes, but she always faced it as a solemn duty and never let Kiki have any fun.

With the combined efforts of Shield six years later, they had discovered her powers were overwhelming her.

Still, the ten year old worked as hard as she could, trying to strengthen her body enough so that one day she would be allowed to go play in the garden with other children. At that point the furthest she had ever been allowed to go was to the edge of the porch, only when her mother was with her. If she was lucky, sometimes she would feel the sun on her legs before the overhead shadowed their small sitting area, blocking out rays of sunlight.

One day, during the summer, her mother had left her alone on the porch, braiding a chain of daisies, to take a phone call. The kappa, and yokai were soaking in the pond that lay across the expansive lawn while the zashiki-warashi played with a bouncy ball in the sun. Kiki's sickness had seemed to retreat that day, as if it wanted her to play out in the sunlight as well.

Kiki looked back once to make sure her mother was still out of sight before she slid out of her chair and off the porch. For the first time in her life, Kiki knew what grass felt like under bare feet. She wandered around the garden, exploring the lovely setting. Her mother had once said that it was modeled after a roji garden, to honor her ancestors who had owned a tea house a one point.

She traveled to the far side of the garden, to the pond where the kappa and yokai were relaxing and played with the zashiki-warashi as they all spoke together. This, she thought, was what it was like to be a child.

The only thing that startled out of her play was a deep voice. "You are the daughter of the Hondas, aren't you?" the man asked. He had a mask on, and a cape. At that time Kiki had thought he was strange, but made no comment on it. He had probably been sent my her parents to find her one they noticed her absence.

"Yes, I am," she answered meekly. A grin spread across the man's features and he lashed out, grabbing the smaller girl. "I am sure your parents will pay a hefty ransom to have to you back then," he gloated, having found his target and already anticipating the reward, "then I can get my revenge."  
She much rather would have been taken by him than witnessed what happened next.

"Kiki!" her mother yelled, appearing at the scene. Her eyes were wild, frantic with worry at seeing her sickly daughter in the arms of a stranger. In that moment, Kiki had never feared her mother more than in that moment.

"Let my daughter go now," she snarled, glaring at the villain. Kiki felt a wave of fear overwhelm her senses. The man holding her shuddered, feeling the same fear as Kiki's mother used her own emotions to influence the two.

But fear made people dangerous.

The man pulled out a gun, pointing it first at Kiki and then at her mother. "Stop it now, Sphinx, I will shoot," the man growled. Kiki was amplifying her own emotions, her powers synchronizing with her mother's unknown to her. The anger she felt at herself for being so weak. The anger she felt at her parents for never letting her surpass her own limits. The anger she felt at her sister for never playing with her.

The only thing that pulled her from her stupor of rage was the shot of a gun.

Her mother was down on the ground before Kiki could even comprehend the noise. The man dropped her as the roaring of emotions paused, passing out from emotional exertion. "Mom!" Kiki yelled, scrambling over to her.

"Kiki," her mother said weakly, lifting a bloodied hand from her bullet wound, smearing the blood over Kiki's cheek as she caressed her daughter for the last time. Her skin was already dulling from blood loss, the bullet hitting the Carotid artery in her leg.

"Mom, just wait. I'll go find dad and," Kiki paused, sobbing, "and you'll get better." "It's too late for me, Kiki," her mother replied, smiling at Kiki, "It's strange, I don't feel any pain. I'm just glad that I got to see you grow up. There were so many times that I thought I would never see you reach this age, or even have children. I thought, as long as I died by Akio I figured everything would be okay. But then you were born, and I wanted to come home. I wanted to see you grow up. I convinced your father to stop saving people, to let innocent families suffer to save our own.

"Please, fix my mistakes for me, Kiki. Live your life helping as many people as you can, don't let others suffer when you can do something to stop it. Please, Kiki, promise me you will," her mother said.

"You can do it when you are healed," Kiki sobbed, feeling the presence of the yokai, kappa and zashiki-warashi gather around her. "I won't be healing from this Kiki. Please promise me you'll help people, please."

"I promise mom."

"I'm so glad I got to see you this far. I love you Kiki. Tell Akio," her mother paused, whimpering in pain, "Tell Akio and Chun-Yan not to cry over me." The voice of her mother faded as she spoke, and her last breath rattled out of her as the blood covered hand went limp, sliding to the ground between Kiki and her mother.

Kiki never wanted to go outside again.

* * *

Liv didn't remember anything else.

Nothing besides being in the sterile room. Sometimes she thought that she could remember the faces of her parents. But her keepers told her it was just a dream. They were her creators, she had no parents. No one outside of the lab cared for her.

Liv's teacher taught her differently. The elderly woman was a scientist, put in charge of studying Liv's learning ability. There were days when she was mad, but on good days she would speak fondly of Liv's parents. They were a young couple, Liv would have been their first born, they'd never wanted to give her up. The lab wanted a child to study, the young couple were immigrants and poor. No one would miss their child besides them. The doctor had been paid off, telling the parents she had died that night, born too weak to survive. Apparently her parents had wept, grieving for the loss of their baby.

When Liv had been evaluated on the progress of her schooling, she had talked about her parents. The next day her teacher was replaced, and she never saw the elderly woman again. Liv suspected they had killed her.

Steadily, the experiment grew worse. Liv began spending more time in the lab than her small living place. The growth of her powers increased beyond belief, and the days she wasn't being ran through tests, she was laying on her cot with a fever. The only company she ever enjoyed having was the troll, he had once been the guardian of the forest on the land which the lab now stood. He was still tied to this land, even though his life's work had disappeared.

When the scientist had began to unlock her belief warping ability Liv began to fight back. During the early stages of the research, Liv had began to use her weakness detection on each of the scientist. Now, whenever someone entered the room they were faced with their fatal weakness. Scientist started to weed themselves out, no longer able to face the threat of death when trying to examine her abilities. Liv's trips to the lab decreased and almost stopped entirely. Until she gained a cell mate.

Lorens was a little younger than her, with red hair and blue-grey eyes. He had been in the lab since his birth but they had been kept separately thus far. While Lorens hadn't known why they were brought together, Liv knew the scientist had done it to limit her use of belief warping. With another innocent in the room, she ran the risk of it affecting him too.

For the first two weeks the two had argued non stop, the new addition to the room was too hot headed for Liv's taste, and Liv was to quiet and monotone for his. The smaller boy was colorful, when he was good the scientist would reward him with paints and canvases. That was the only time he had been nice to Liv, and only because she was the only interesting subject to paint, as Lorens put it.

Their relationship changed completely when Lorens was thrown into the room one day after his daily lab work. He was crying, and bleeding from cuts on his hand. Initially Liv had wanted to ignore the boy, but in the end he was too noisy for her to handle.

"What happened?" she asked. "I mess up! I wasn't expecting them to draw blood and I hardened my skin. The syringe broke. I tried to clean it up. I am sorry I really am, I didn't mean it. They're going to kill me Liv," Lorens wailed, flinging himself into her arms and holding onto her.

Liv froze, this was the first human contact she had ever experienced that wasn't for the benefit of some study. She took a moment, but hugged Lorens, rubbing his back in a way she hoped would convey her sympathy. "Shhh, it's okay, you're going to be okay," Liv cooed.

Lorens didn't stop, they stayed on the cold lab floor until he finally exhausted himself and fell asleep. Knowing what had to be done, Liv picked him up, setting him down on his cot and setting the blanket on top of him.

That night she sat down in front of his bed until the head scientist entered. "Experiment 0596 please remove yourself, I am here to collect Experiment 1093," he stated breifly, talking slowly as if he was speaking to a toddler. "I want to take Lorens' punishment," she blurted out immediately. She shall the surprise flash across the man's face and fade away quickly. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. Liv followed him out, accepting the stinging shocks delivered as they ran her through a series of harsh experiments used to test pain tolerance.

That was what Liv's life was like. A test for punishment. Another for a reward. Everything was a test.

Lorens never knew what had happened, he lived in fear of them coming to seek revenge for him messing up something as small as a syringe. Liv didn't fear their arrival for him, she had taken care of it. Liv thought Lorens didn't have anything to worry about anymore. She let her guard down.

She shouldn't have let her guard down.

Almost a month after that single mistake, Liv had woken up to find Lorens gone. She waited patiently for his return, it was unusual for them to be taken to the lab while it was resting time, but it wasn't unheard off. Four hours later, it was time for her tests, she left like always, expecting her younger companion to be back by the time she returned.

That night, Liv was only greeted by an empty room. "Where is Lorens?" she asked the leading researcher for the day before he could leave the room. "Experiment 1093? He's been terminated. He was no longer useful to our research so there was no longer a reason to keep him around."

Just like that. As if the man had been talking about the weather. The only person in her life she shared any type of human to human relationship was gone. There one night, gone the next morning. Liv's tantrum had begun instantly, no one approached her for a week as she cried and screamed and yelled, grieving for her friend. Aching from the loss.

Liv feared for the day she would no longer be useful.

* * *

It was likely the whole block heard _Nightshade_ waking up. He groaned and moaned and began cursing the Avengers and United World the second he awoke from his slumber. The last thing he probably expected was to be pulled up to his feet by a seething Spaniard.

"You will send me to be with Chi right now, amigo. Before I slice off each of your fingers, and then your toes. Yield now and you'll be able to avoid the pain,"Antonio growled, pulling _Nightshade_ up by his shirt's collar. "You want to be with them? In their darkest memories? Be my guest, let's see if any of you can escape."


	19. Chapter 19: Being the Monster

So first off welcome to Chapter 19: Being the Monster, and the chapter right before the conclusion to the 2p Russia arc, that perhaps you didn't even know was going on. I really want to have a light hearted chapter for 21, as I have been reflecting on the emotional events from the last couple of chapters, but I am unsure of what it should contain, if nothing else the next chapter will probably summarize the events of the story so far. In the near future, I'll be bringing back 2p China as their next major villain and please look forward to the rescue of Fury and Chun-Yan. Also while each of the characters have a fairly short chapter emotional trauma takes a long time to overcome, you never truly know the obstacles someone has faced but everyone deserves time and your respect for the mountains they have climbed. Anyway, I don't own Hetalia or the Avengers, but I would appreciate you enjoying the chapter anyway. Reviews are a lovely gift which add to my inspiration as well as the quality of the story, so drop one by if you have the time! Thank you for reading United World! And let me say this now, this chapter was hell to write in the midst of a writer's block so sorry about being a bit late on it.

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **Being the Monster**

* * *

Doctor Bruce Banner, known as the Hulk, watched as the living room of Chiara's apartment blurred and the world around him solidified again into a small clearing. The smell of snow hung heavy in the air and his feet crunched on the crisp fallen leaves below. All around him, trees stretched skywards as though they were attempting to pull themselves from the cold world around them.

A string of broken sobs split the crisp air, sounding like a small child. Bruce jogged to the origin of the voice, wondering just who's worst memory this was. When he arrived he found a the child, crouched next to the body of a man whose blood dyed the snow red around him.

The boy was ill dressed for this weather, wearing only what looked like pajamas as he cried. His face was hidden behind her hands as he was left unable to turn away from the older man. However, Bruce knew instantly the child was Ivan, his grayish hair a dead give away.

"Ivan," Bruce called gently to the child who was usually the scariest member of United World. So far Bruce had tried to avoid him the best he could, the atmosphere around him was nearly enough to set the Hulk off.

At the sound of his voice, the small boy scooted away in terror, hands clawing at the snow. In that moment he looked more like a caged animal than ever before. "Go away," he cried, throwing a fistful of snow at Bruce, "Go away or I'll kill you too! Just like my father!"

Bruce paused for a second, reaching a realization about Ivan in that single moment. He wasn't threatening to kill Bruce, he was worried that it might happen. During the first meeting with Zamora, the Avengers had seen how badly Ivan had been wounded, but not once had he ever tried to fight back against her. Had Ivan always been afraid of killing his teammates after this?

Bruce let the snow hit him, feeling the short burst of cold before it vanished. It only took a few long steps for him to reach the young Russian. Without a single moment more of hesitation, the nuclear chemist bent down and hugged the purple eyed hero to his chest.

Ivan fought it only for a moment before relaxing into the hug, silent sobs running their course through his waited patently until the boy calmed down before asking what happened.

"You don't want to be near me either," Ivan added, once he finished his story, "I am too dangerous. I can't control myself when I am like that. I become a monster, I am just like my father."

"Doctor, promise me," Ivan started. "Promise you what?" Bruce asked. "Kill me if I become a monster."

Bruce paused for a long time, before shaking his head. "I won't kill you." Ivan shot up from his arms, still as a young version of himself as he glared at Bruce.

"Why not?" he demanded. "If I asked the other Avengers to kill me if I became a monster I would probably be dead a hundred times over by now. You don't get the easy ticket out, you're not a monster. You are just like me, a human," Bruce replied.

"A human?" Ivan muttered, seemingly in awe. "Yes, you've loved, and bled, and fought, and laughed. You're a human, nothing more nothing less. You are not a monster," Bruce replied, standing, "And we've both got some humans to save. So what do you say we go back."

The nuclear chemist held his hand out to Ivan, who took it. And both began to walk out of the dream and into reality.

* * *

Tony jolted awake on a couch, a party around him as people passed him with drinks in hand. The atmosphere had turned sour as many people muttered before reluctantly leaving the apartment. Once every person was cleared out, four more burst into the apartment.

A younger looking Francis and Antonio were dragging Gwen in. The white haired beauty's abdomen was coated in blood and she had already lost consciousness. Arthur came in after them, looking exactly as he did now, as if he had never aged a day.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Arthur asked as the two began towards one of the back rooms. "I think you've done enough, just wait here. We aren't done with you," Antonio replied bitterly. "Just make yourself at home," Francis added.

Arthur sighed as they pulled her into one of the back rooms. He looked at the door longingly and for a moment, Tony thought he would flee the apartment, flee back into reality without needing help. However, the British man soon took a heat across from the billionaire, putting his head into his palms.

"Why can't I help anyone?" he muttered, "Is my only purpose in life to watch others die while I live for so long?"

"Don't be an idiot," Tony replied, watching in satisfaction as Arthur's head snapped up, as if he hadn't realized Tony's presence before.  
"What?" Arthur asked, mystified. "He said don't be an idiot, Arty," Flying Mint Bunny repeated. Grinning at the presence of the small magical creature Tony leaned forward, snatching an unopened beer off the coffee table between them. He popped it open easily before taking a long drink.

"You're here to save people and lead United World. You guys have done a lot of good, but I don't think they could have done it without you. You guys have done a lot of good, but I don't think they could have done it without you. I mean, who would be leader if you weren't here? Alfred? No offense, I love the kid but he isn't a leader like you are," Tony added.

"I suppose you're right on that point," Arthur replied with a dark chuckle, "but many other things would be better if I never existed. I was UW's first member, I convinced the others to join, if it hadn't been for me, they could have grown up like normal people. Chun-Yan wouldn't be in the hands of Black Skull. We wouldn't even be here."

"What good is that going to do. You already exist, the rest of UW has become heroes who are changing the fate of mankind, we'll rescue Chun-Yan and we'll get out of here. There's no use in wishing that you didn't exist now, Arthur. You already do. The least you could do is start fixing your own mistakes," Tony proclaimed.

"The others are fighting their worst memories out there, and here you are mopping in a smelly apartment. Are you really going to wait here while your friends suffer. Now is your time to get up, Arthur. Stand on your own two feet and help the rest of UW get back up on theirs. So, are you with me?"

Tony branished his hand, successfully getting through his hopefully empowering speech. "Come on Arthur," Flying Mint Bunny urged, sensing it's long time friend's hesitation. Arthur stood, taking the hand of the billionaire. Together they walked through the door and back into their world.

* * *

Steve Rogers found himself in a high school upon his entrance into the dream world of a UW member. The halls were filled with students, pushing past the soldier who stood in idle wonderment.

He jumped when the doors behind him banged open to reveal a group of muscular jocks. One made joke that set Steve off into the room they had come from, the gym. The super soldier looked around, pinpointing the male's locker room and pushed the door open.

A slightly younger look Alfred was on the floor, glasses beside him shattered and a number of books splashed through the room. The teenager was barely supporting himself on his hands and knees as he coughed loudly, the empty locker room echoing the noise back to them.

"Alfred?" Steve asked tentatively, not wanting to alarm the boy.

The hero let out yelp, turning slightly to see Steve, although he winced while he did so. Alfred's nose was broken, his left eye swelled shut and his lip split. "Hey, Cap. Sorry ya had to see me like this," Alfred replied, standing up to face Steve, "I bet I'm not looking too cool right now."

"Son, what happened?" Steve asked, shocked by the hero's state. He scrambled forwards and helped the patriot sit down on a nearby bench.

"Got a bit beat up, nothing I can't handle. It's my price to pay for standing up to others," Alfred replied, laughing at his own misfortune, "It wasn't always like this. I used my powers to get accepted by the Football team, and those jerks made me do... I don't think I regret loosing my popularity but I-I ... I didn't want to do that to Kiki."

Tears began welling up in Alfred's eyes as he spoke, "You've always been my hero, ya know? I mean you were the first hero. But when I allowed the others to pressure me into bullying I couldn't help but think that you would disapprove. And now look at me. Is this all there is to being a hero? Is it all really just you taking the burden of the pain citizens would have to go through if not for you? If so I don't know if I can take it.

"We lost Chun-Yan so other people wouldn't have to lose their families. We've fought, and killed and suffered so other people wouldn't have to. But people still got hurt. What's the purpose of having heroes when they can't help everyone?"

"Son, it's not about the people you can't help but it's about the people you can. We're heroes because we want to help people, we want to save people. And right now the rest of your friends need saving. So what do you say, if you have the ability to save them and help them, shouldn't you?"

Alfred wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I guess I really shouldn't have doubted you Cap. You really are my hero."

And together the two opened the door out of the sweaty locker room.

* * *

Natasha crept through the dark hospital, barely making a sound on the clean tile floor. There was the soft sound of crying coming from a nearby room, and once Natasha pushed open the door she was able to see a child who looked like Madeline sitting at the window of the room, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.  
Madeline was flickering in and out of visibility, her powers fluctuating with her unstable emotions. She was dressed in a hospital gown and one of her legs was splinted, a pair of crutches present on the opposite side of her bed.

"Are you okay?" Natasha asked, immediately regretting it when Madeline faded from view even more so. When the small girl fully returned in sight she muttered something, not turning to face Natasha. The spy took a seat on the monotone hospital bed, waiting for her companion to be ready to speak. "I'm fine," Madeline eventually said, her voice waning with each syllable, "I'm fine."

"It doesn't look that way. We're comrades aren't we? You can tell me anything," Natasha replied, eyes flickering around the room lit by moonlight and noted the sore lack of hospital cards that usually littered a child's room.

Madeline pulled her good leg up on the chair with her, hugging it to her chest. For a moment, Natasha was worried the girl would disappear completely, hiding from her emotions and hindering her from crossing the bridges she needed to overcome.

"You're not alone, Madeline. You are surrounded by people that want to help you, but it's up to you to stop pushing them all away," Natasha reminded. Silence overtook the room yet again, lingering in their midst as an enemy.

"They all end up for forgetting me. How can I rely on people that don't even remember I'm here half the time?" Madeline finally asked, "It'd be better for me to be alone, I'm the only one who can ever remember me," Madeline murmured. "That's not true and you know it. Gwen has never forgotten you, or Francis, or me. The others wouldn't either if you would just let them in. You've formed such a barrier between yourself and everyone else that no one can break through it. That's why they forget you! You don't want them to remember you because you're scared of losing them.

"You're the one making yourself miserable and it's time to wake up now," Natasha bellowed, her voice filling the room and chasing out the silence which had haunted them before. "I can't," Madeline replied, sorrow overflowing with each word.

"You can, you're the only one limiting yourself now, Madeline. You have others around you who don't want to forget, who want to help you. If you want them to remember you now is your chance. Get up, go back and help them. Or you can stay here and bathe in your self pity," Natasha growled, standing up. She began to walk to the door, her shoes clicking loudly on the floor.

"Wait!" Madeline cried, scrambling out of the chair, and falling to the floor the moment she tried to put any weight on her leg. Natasha could barely conceal her smirk, this was exactly why she would never forget Madeline, the girl was brave enough to push her boundaries.

The spy backtracked, picking up Madeline in her arms. "Just let us support you for once," Natasha muttered. And together they left the room to wake up in the apartment again.

* * *

Toni looked around the Varges Mansion, a large building at the central of the mafia where only the Varges and the executives could live and be waited on hand and foot. He had grown up at the Mansion, taken in by the executives after his parents died, he was to be the head's faithful guard when she grew up. Toni had played right along with Romulus' game of molding Chiara into the prefect boss in the future.

There were two places Chiara could be, her room or the detached meeting area of the family were traitors were given justice and decisions made. Toni hadn't been allowed in there for the longest of time, enduring strenuous training while his master, Romulus' guard at the time. Alessio had once been in charge of guarding Chi.

Although, it wasn't like Antonio had ever met the man. He had disappeared and many suspected him to be a traitor. It wouldn't surprise Antonio if the boss had killed him.

The Spaniard decided to check Chiara's room first, only to find it empty, void of anything that would have made it different from another guest room. Even when she had moved there were only a few things she took, a photo album of her parents, a framed one of her and Feli and her painting supplies.

With that Toni made the trek to the meeting area, looking around the house for any signs of life. It seemed like the place had been abandoned due to its lack of people it normally housed. It made the house look creepier than ever before, especially the menacing portraits of Romulus, whose eyes seemed to follow him through the house.

"Mi pequeno tomate," Toni called softly as he entered the meeting area. closing the door behind him. The only source of light was from the sky light above the center of the area, washing the concrete floor in sunlight.

"Toni?" a small voice responded from one of the corner of the room, "Toni, I'm here." Toni saw Chiara, curled up in the corner, her tiny white dress splattered with blood as she looked to him as though she was desperately begging for help.

He picked her up as she whimpered and began to walk towards the door. He didn't want to see Chiara suffer like this because of what the boss did. Toni's respect and trust for the boss had vanished long ago, never again did Toni want to see Chiara being hurt again. "Toni I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go home," Chi whimpered, holding onto his shirt as they walked across the room.

"I know, mi tomate," Toni whispered, shifting Chiara's weight into one hand so he could open the door. It didn't matter what had transpired here. Toni knew Chiara would tell him about it when she was ready. Just as he would tell her of his time with Black Skull when he was ready. Even then, they were destined to be lovers. No matter what.

Together they stepped out of the dream.

* * *

Thor and Loki awoke together in a sterile white room. There were two beds in the room, both with white sheets and a single pillow. But their companion was only on one of the beds, the second left empty.

Liv's eyes were dull, expressing not a single emotion in the face of her facade. She was hugging her knees to her chest, her hair was shorter and Liv was dressed in a white shirt and pants. Both Asgaurdains could see Troll hovering near here, warm breezes continuously washing over the room in an attempt to cheer his friend up. Finally, he turned to Thor and Loki, looking quite helpless in the face of his sad friend.

The brothers looked at each other for a moment before Loki walked forward, sitting on his mortal friend's bed. "We must go, Liv," he announced gently. Thor was surprised by the behavior of his brother, never before had he cared so much for a mortal, he couldn't help but wonder what she had done to deserve such respect.

"I can't. If I leave I stop being useful, and if I stop being useful I'll be killed," Liv murmured, "Just like Lorens was." She held her head with both hands covering her ears, her eyes suddenly look quite frantic and mad. "No one will hurt you, but we must leave here first," Thor replied.

"I won't leave with you. You're not real, you're just another illusion," Liv replied, shifting her body away to block the two from her view, "You're not real." "This isn't working," Loki mouthed to Thor before trying a different approach, "Who was Lorens?"

"Lorens? Lorens was real. Wasn't he? He lived here too, that's why there's two beds. Lorens wasn't useful anymore so he died, just like I will when I am no longer useful," Liv ranted, "Lorens was Berwald's little brother. Berwald said he was supposed to have a little brother named Lorens but he died. Berwald's real, right? But Lorens didn't die, the scientists took him like they took me."

"We have to get her out of here, she's not in any state to listen to us," Thor proclaimed. Loki nodded moving backwards as Liv began to rant on the scientists and their experiments. When Thor picked up the lithe girl she froze for a moment.

"No! You can't take me out of here! If I try to leave my use is up!" Liv raved, repeating over and over with random intervals of telling the brothers they weren't real as she was carried to the door. She tried to kick and punch and claw her way from Thor's grip and Troll watched them worriedly.

When the brothers left the room they brought Liv back to reality.

* * *

Francis woke up in a place he had never seen before. Before he began dating Maddie it wasn't too strange for this to happen, often taking his partner that night to a hotel and leaving before they awoke.

But this was serious matter, this was no time to be thinking about Veronica or Mary or even Sandra. No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about his past flings, now was the time to worry about whoever's nightmare he was in.

He walked through the house, searching for signs of life when he finally found Gwen, looking younger than he had ever seen her before. She looked like she was maybe in third grade, before Francis and Toni had met her. Gwen had never told the two of them what had happened to her parents to cause her to move in with her grandparents but Francis was content no knowing until Gwen was ready.

Each member of the bad touch trio had a secret, and if the fate of her parents' happened to be Gwen's then so be it.

"Gwen, it's Francis," he called out, walking towards his friend where she sat under a blanket, holding a letter tightly in one hand. "You're not Francis, Francis doesn't remember me," Gwen replied.

"Of course I remember you. There was someone missing, someone who acted like our glue and kept us together, that's what Toni and I thought the whole time. We knew we were missing someone," Francis began, standing over Gwen.

"I don't think I could ever put into words how horrible I felt when I realized I forgot about you, when Toni and I forgot about you. We didn't know how to apologize and we had hoped the problem would just go away. But it didn't, and we should have said something to you. We shouldn't have let you suffer alone."

"So let's get out of this together. Let's have the three of us laugh together again," Francis grinned, "When all this is over, let's have a drink."

"I would like that," Gwen replied, shedding her blanket on the couch and releasing the letter from her hand. It didn't matter to Francis if he ever learned about Gwen before they had met. That wasn't important.

* * *

Clint pushed himself up from the wooden floor he found himself stranded on. The house looked like it was built to represent a traditional Japanese house, and the archer wondered for a moment if he had landed in Kiki's memory for a reason. He stalked through the house, not caring about the noise he made as he pushed open doors and peered into rooms for his target.

There was no way that Clint would let Kiki suffer anymore than she already had. The two had connected both of their natural abilities being useless in a fight and they bonded over the weapons they used in place of offensive powers. Eventually, after what felt like a hundred doors, Clint attempted to yank one open only to find it locked. He pounded his fist on the door, glad to have found the place his target would be.

"Just go away!" Kiki yelled from inside the room.

"No chance in hell. You had better come out of there right now before I break down this door," Clint yelled back, ceasing his knocks so his voice would be audible. "Leave me alone, I don't want to see anyone right now!"

"You want to be left alone?" Clint yelled, backing up to the opposite side of the hallway. "Yes," Kiki wailed in reply. "Too bad." Clint ran forward, throwing himself through the thin door as he broke the seal of Kiki's isolation, returning the two to fellowship once more.


	20. Chapter 20: An Inevitable End

So sorry about last week, this chapter took me some time. Usually writer's block never stops me, but writer's block and a AP practice exam was enough to quell my motivation. Because of the length of the story so far I will be posting a new story as a sequel with next two arcs on a new story, like the two arcs here (introduction, and 2p Russia). I already wrote a part of the first chapter, since it's mostly to summarize the events, of course I suggest you read it seeing as how this ending is rather open ended. Anyway, I still don't own Hetalia or the Marvel franchise. I hope you enjoy chapter 20!

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **An Inevitable End**

* * *

Ivan woke up as a chill ran up his spine, jolting awake at the sensation. Standing before him was himself. Nikoli, while having darker hair and eyes, was a spitting image of his first player. The second player had a smug smile drawn over his features as he looked at his awakening trophies. _Nightshade_ had done his job well, finally Nikoli would have the power he needed to take over a world of his own, and end the other second players as well.

Ivan tried to shake the thought. He didn't want to kill the 2ps to take over the world, nor did he want to praise _Nightshade_ for capturing the heroes. The only thing he wanted was Chun Yan...dead.

His confusion based in his opposing thoughts was probably visible to the other heroes who were likely in the same situation as he was, chained to a chair and facing a villain. While he looked, Ivan felt as if he could not see. While he should have been mad, he felt smug at the victory instead.

"Ivan?" a voice asked, sounding as if the speaker was far away. "No use, he's out of it. We need to focus on getting out of here before Nikoli comes back," a second voice whispered. "Could the proximity to his second player be having this effect on him?" inquired another. "Ivan, ya damn commie snap out of it," a fourth howled. "Alfred! Quiet!" multiple voices hushed in a loud whisper. "Sorry," the fourth voice muttered.

"Natasha, how far along are you?" the second voice asked. "The material is strange, it seems to bend with the movement of my hands," a fifth replied. "In other words, no progress," the fourth one groaned.

"Is Liv awake, she probably has the best chance of getting these off with her powers?" questioned someone else. "Nay, whatever the _Crime Lord_ did has not worn off yet," a loud voice replied. "Quiet Thor," the first voice hissed. "Couldn't you just go Hulk and get yourself out of here?" asked a new voice.

"I don't know how _Hulk_ might react, or do. _Whisper_ is still somewhere else and _Hulk_ might bring the whole thing down on you," the third voice sighed. "So we're doomed," a new voice huffed.

Ivan closed his eyes, a headache forming from the constant symphony of voices. When he opened them again he could see his companions and it felt as if a fog that lingered in his head was gone. "Where are we?" he asked, noting his rasp voice that sounded as if he had been crying for hours. Which, he supposed, he had been in the nightmare.

"About time," Alfred grumbled, seated in a chair to his left. "What happened?" Bruce asked. Ivan flinched at the sound of the scientist's voice, fully aware of the emotional interaction between the two. He had kept the secret of killing his father and his fears from all of his teammates, but cried like a small child in front of such a man.

How unforgivable.

"Where are we?" Ivan repeated, refusing to give Alfred the satisfaction of knowing he was getting on Ivan's nerves, and ignoring the doctor all together. "While we were out _Nightshade_ and Nikoli, who, evidently, is not benched, brought us here while they get a portal to the 2p dimension set up," Arthur grumbled.

The Russia hero glanced around to the collection of heroes surrounding him, noting the few absences. "Where is _Whisper, Hawkeye_ , Francis and Antonio?" he inquired. "Nikoli took Gwen when we all woke up, she went peacefully when he threatened to kill one of us. _Hawkeye_ , Francis and Antonio weren't here when we woke up, but my guess is they weren't taken with us as they seem like normal humans for the most part," Kiki replied.

"And comrade Liv?" Ivan inquired. " _Nightshade_ gave her a shot of something when we woke up, probably knew her powers could get us out of this mess," Tony answered. Ivan sighed, it really was hopeless. Even with three of their members absent, they probably had no way of finding them.

Looking around the room, Ivan began to mindlessly count the chairs as the others talked about ways to get out. "Twelve," he muttered. That was... strange. In both teams, including the two agents, there were seventeen members. With Gwen, Francis, Toni and Clint gone that would be thirteen. But there were only twelve of them.

Who was missing?

"What was that, Ivan?" Arthur asked, the attention of the group turning towards him. "There's twelve of us," Ivan replied, recounting as he did so. "Get your eyes checked, Commie, there's thirteen. Seventeen minus four is thirteen," Alfred sneered. "Wait a moment, Ivan's right. Twelve of us are here," Arthur murmured.

Conversation was put on hold as everyone counted again. "You're right, but then who else are we missing?" Bruce asked.

Who else were they missing?

* * *

Madeline woke up in an empty room. Which really wouldn't be too unusual if she knew where this room was. It looked like a side room to a larger warehouse, judging by the amount of empty crates. Fourteen had been opened, and emptied while the rest were closed.

The shy Canadian turned invisible before opening up the door in the room to the larger section of the warehouse. The majority of her team were sitting in chair aligned in a circle as the group of heroes argued back and fourth about the number of people on their team.

Madeline was surrounded by idiots, but it looked like it came in handy now. Her teammates had forgotten about her, but so had whoever kidnapped them. Only Natasha was staying out of the argument, testing her bonds as she tried to get out. The ongoing argument blocked out whatever sound Madeline could have possibly made as she walked to Natasha, bending down to whisper in the assassin's ear. "Natasha, it's Madeline. Act normal, but I need to know who all is here and where they may be."

"Maybe we are going about this wrong, let's go through the people we are missing again. Antonio, Francis and Clint are probably back at the apartment, right? Gwen is with Nikoli, and that's it, correct?" Natasha clarified, her voice pausing the argument. "Either _Nightshade_ or Nikoli have the key to get us out of here," Kiki added, making a second of eye contact with Madeline, "And Liv's knocked out still."

"We've gone over that already, Nat," Alfred whined, "but there's someone else gone." "Are you sure your mind isn't playing tricks on you from the nightmare?" Kiki asked, "Isn't there only sixteen of us?" The group seemed to pause and think, but Madeline couldn't waste time and wait for their response. She teleported herself to Chiara's apartment, and nearly got shot by an arrow.

"Wait! Mi amore, Madeline! How did you escape?" Francis cried, pushing Clint's bow upwards before he could shoot an arrow. "I didn't, they forgot about me. Nikoli has everyone, but we can't bust in there without a plan," Madeline answered.

"Can you tell us about the state of the others?" Toni asked, coming into the living room from the kitchen with a glass of water. "Everyone, besides us and Gwen, are in chairs in the main structure of a warehouse. Whatever tech is holding them is too complicated for Natasha to break herself out alone. We'll need a key for that, which Nightshade or Nikoli holds. Liv is knocked out. And Gwen is with Nikoli," Madeline stated, taking in a deep breath once she finished.

"Seems pretty bleak for us four to be the only ones available to do the rescuing," Clint sighed. "Nonsense, mi amigo, the bad touch trio has been in worse situations than this before and still figured a way out, all that we need is a distraction. And I think I have the perfect one," Toni replied, grinning.

"Oh, that's right. Tonight is the night, eh Toni," Francis replied with a wink. "Si, I trust that you can get them in again, Madeline. Just leave the rest up to me."

* * *

"What exactly is Toni planning to do?" Clint asked late that night as the trio, Clint, Madeline and Francis, used the light provided by the full moon as their guide through the old warehouse district. They were dressed in stealth gear, well Francis and Clint were, Madeline had no need. The quiet girl went invisible, and the only way Clint had any idea of her whereabouts was by looking towards Francis' hand, as he held it so they wouldn't lose track of each other.

"You'll see. Well actually let us hope we won't see. Toni tends to get a bit carried away. If he does, hopefully Chiara will be with us to calm him down," Francis answered, "Now _Bolt_ , please go and check up ahead a ways for us, come back here in five minutes at the most. If you are not back in time we will assume that your location has been discovered and proceed with Plan B."

"Plan B?" Clint asked, "We didn't talk about a Plan B." "I'll fill you in on it if Maddie get caught, for now, let's focus on Plan A," Francis replied, seeming rather non chalet. The two stood in the darkness, silent as all attempts to start a conversation were quickly quenched by either side. Five minutes seemed like five hours and every few seconds Francis glanced down at his watch. It would have been less unnerving if they were able to see Bolt returning, but her part in their plan required her invisibility, revealing their presence to the enemy could cost their lives.

"What did you find?" Francis asked suddenly, startling Clint. "This side of the place is clear, seems like Toni has got the goons occupied. Nikoli is in the same room as our missing members, but _Nightshade_ is wandering the halls on the East side, it'd be best to take him out first," _Bolt_ informed. "Perfect, we'll head to the East side and wait for Nightshade to pass by a window. I trust you'll be able to take him down when that happens, _Hawkeye_ , shooting him is our safest and least attention drawing method of attack," Francis instructed.

"I can take him out," Clint confirmed, "At least temporarily." "Good, let's head out then. Madeline, dear, while Nightshade is being taken out, can you get back into the room where Nikoli is and patch a feed through to us, so we can hear what he's saying, and know if we've been given away?" Francis asked. "I can," Madeline nodded. Clint supposed she slipped away as Francis began to backtrack down the alley and lead the archer to the East side of the warehouse.

"Where would you be able to get the best shot from?" Francis whispered. "The roof of that one, I'll get up there, you wait down here in case _Nightshade_ has some company that needs to be taken care of quickly."

Without waiting for a response, Clint climbed to the rooftop of a nearby building, perching on it's roof with his bow drawn as he watched the windows for _Nightshade_. A static filled feed of conversation dribbled in through the communicator as Clint waited for movement behind the glass panels. Suddenly a shadow caught his attention, a quick movement and as the figure passed by the next window, Clint was able to see their face. He readied his bow, aiming for the third window, his only chance to take out his target.

Clint released the arrow as a long howl trilled through the air. He jumped, but the arrow was already too far along for his sudden movement to effect it's aim. It struck true all the same, breaking the glass the a quite clink and hit his target. The electrically charged arrow shocked _Nightshade_ , knocking him out quickly with a soft buzzing sound.

Hawkeye signaled down to Francis, jumping off the building himself and landing with a somersault. "Let's get in there now, it sounds like Toni is almost finished."

* * *

When Liv woke up, the only thing she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She felt groggy and weighed down, just as she had after tests the scientists had put her under for. Today had been filled with unrest sleep and nightmares, the only thing she wished to do was lay down in her own bed and cuddle with the stuffed puffin Emil had give her as a present.

Of course, when your fiery Italian guardian was screaming at you to wake the hell up, going back to sleep was hard. Liv wanted to cry, almost as much as she wanted to sleep. Why didn't villains ever pick a convenient time to make their move?

"Wake up, Liv, we're getting out of here," Chiara snapped, tapping her ward on the face lightly. "I'm up," Liv mumbled, blinking slowly, her eyelids feeling weighed down with sleep. "Is she up?" Alfred asked, from across the room. Finally, Liv shut her eyes, mustering what little energy she had left to open her eyes fully in take in her surroundings.

Early morning light was beginning to dye the warehouse yellow, but the floor was stained red. Nikoli lay on the cement floor in a pool of his own blood, his throat a gaping wound. Immediately, Liv felt sick, covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to prevent her bile mixing with the blood of the second player. "What happened?" Liv asked, her voice cracking. The rest of United World and the Avengers were showered with injuries, Toni was laying on the ground not far off, his shirt torn to shreds.

Regardless of what events had played out during Liv's drug induced sleep, the results would rear their head in the coming days.

Would the team of United World and the Avengers be able to handle it when they did? Will Chun-Yan and Fury ever find their way back to the teams?

Find out in the sequel: Spanning Dimensions


End file.
